Chimps vs. Humans 

PART 1: Compare Human and Chimp Body Structure

People have long been fascinated by how similar chimpanzees look to humans.  But just how similar – and different – are we?  Take a close look and compare a chimp and a human side by side.  Working with your group, you will write down your observations about the similarities and differences. 

For instance:

“Chimps have fur”

“Humans have smooth skin with tiny hairs.”

Here are some things to notice:

Bone Shapes                            Finger lengths                         Teeth                   

Skull Shape                     Limb lengths                           Posture               

Face Shapes                    Ear Position                                     

HUMAN                                                                                             CHIMP

PART 2: Compare Human and Chimp Behaviors

Listed below are human and chimp features that you can’t see in a picture.  Guess where each of them goes: human feature (H), chimp feature (C), or a feature of both (B).

_____ 1.  Lives in territories that are defended by roving males.  Practices aggressive and sometimes lethal behavior against its neighbors.

_____ 2. Has a large brain relative to body size.

_____ 3. These are social animals that live in communities.  The top ranking male leads the community.

_____ 4. Uses hand gestures and facial expressions to communicate.

_____ 5. When they are sick they dose themselves with medicinal herbs.

_____ 6. Males weigh up to 110 pounds and females up to 85 pounds.  The average lifespan is 50 years.

_____ 7. These animals yawn (although no one knows exactly why).  Yawning is contagious among group members.

_____ 8. Has a long childhood and loves to play

_____ 9. Develops a lifelong bond with its mother.

Part 3: Compare Human and Chimp DNA Sequences

The genetic code of chimps and humans is billions of base pairs long. Only about 1% of the DNA in the chimp and human genes is different.  Can you pinpoint the differences?

How to read the chart:

Ø In the chart you will find the same stretch of DNA (about 2,700 letters long) for a chimpanzee (top) and a human (bottom).

Ø The vertical lines show where the DNA is the same for chimps and humans.

Ø A tiny figure shows where there’s a difference in the chimp and human DNA

How many differences (figures) can you find?

Did you expect more or fewer differences between chimp and human DNA?  Why?

Would you say that humans and chimps are more different than they are alike…or more alike than they are different?  Why?