Essay for IE Writing 2 #1

The Comparison of Human Beings and Chimpanzees

          Human beings and monkeys are the mammals.  These two mammals have many points in common.  Especially, chimpanzees resemble human beings.  They have to respect and know each other in order to live together peacefully.

          Both human beings and chimpanzees are the primates.  Human beings walk on two feet.  That means they do not knuckle-walk.  In mammals this is the feature which only human beings have.  Since they stand and walk on two feet, their hands have greatly developed and they can use their hands freely.  This would be one of the most effective factors in the development of human beings’ civilization.  Chimpanzees have DNA similar to human beings’.  There is only 1~4% difference between them.  Therefore their physical features are really similar to human beings’.  However, in terms of appearances, the most remarkable difference is their hair which covers most of their bodies.  They can keep their temperature with it though human beings have to wear clothes.  It is said that they look like an old man if their hair is all shaved.

          Both human beings and chimpanzees are the most intelligent mammals in the world.  Human beings use languages and letters when they tell someone what they want to tell.  They can know what others are thinking or feeling.  Also, both of them can use tools.  Human beings can use them in order to make something else.  This is clear evidence that shows they are extremely intelligent.  Chimpanzees are good at guessing and feeling other chimpanzees’ feelings and decide how they behave.  They can use tools when they get food.  Using tools suggests that they can think what the best way of achieving their goals is.  Because there are a lot of dangerous creatures in their habitants, they are very cautious.  They can find out where their enemies are and escape from them quickly.

          Both human beings and chimpanzees belong to the society.  Human beings are originally members of the society because they can’t survive all by themselves.  For example, they are the members of families, schools, clubs, companies, and so on.  As members, they have to learn manners in order to keep good relationships.  Chimpanzees make herds which are a kind of their society and live in those groups.  They have bosses in each herd and must respect them.  Mothers have to have babies and raise them up.  Living in such groups is really important for them because they can easily protect female chimpanzees and babies and get enemies out of their territories.  However, they have a strange habit that adult chimpanzees sometimes kill their babies.  Though many scholars have studied this habit for a long time, they’ve never found the clear reason for this.

          Both human beings and chimpanzees have two types of sex.  Of course, they are male and female.  The number of male human beings is almost the same as that of females.  Therefore the ratio of the numbers is well-balanced.  However, when chimpanzees are adult, the number of male chimpanzees is less than that of females.  Concretely, the ratio of the number of male and female chimpanzees is 1:2 though when they are born, it is 1:1.  This is because male chimpanzees can kill other male chimpanzees in other herds.

          Both human beings and chimpanzees need communication to keep good relationship.  Human beings have so developed brains that they can use languages to communicate with each other.  This is one of the unique features of human beings.  However, it is not the only means of communication.  They can use non-verbal communication such as expressions or body languages.  As technology has been rapidly developing, it is said that people can easily have an access to others and communicate with them now by means of e-mail or the Internet.  Chimpanzees also can use expressions or body languages though they can’t use languages.  Mostly, they touch other’s bodies when they communicate with them.  Especially, when they want to show their respects or friendships, they groom with each other.  A scientist suggested that we can find which chimpanzee is the boss of the group by seeing the members grooming.

          Now, the number of chimpanzees is rapidly decreasing.  We human beings must think how the relationships with chimpanzees are and understand what human beings or chimpanzees are in order to stop decrease in the number of chimpanzees and live together on the earth.  This will lead studies of chimpanzees forward and we human beings can understand our origins.  If we can understand them more clearly than now, we can learn differences further and make better relationships with chimpanzees, the mammal which especially resembles us, chimpanzees.