Gorilla + Orangutan = The Best of Both Worlds

In the great apes, there are two worlds--ground and treetop. Representing the ground is the largest primate on Earth, the genus Gorilla. Representing the treetops is genus Pongo, the orangutan.

This is the gorilla's skeleton.

And this is the orangutan's.

The male gorilla averages around six feet tall, weighs 400 pounds and has an armspan of eight and a half feet, making it the largest of the primates, topping the orangutan, a genus in which the male averages four-and-a-half feet tall, weighs 165 pounds and has an armspan of six-and-a-half feet. Such a difference in size reflects the level of habitat, with the larger gorilla being more grounded. Also, if you look closely, the gorilla's skeleton is actually more robust than the orangutan's, suitable for a terrestrial lifestyle. The orangutan's, by contrast, is more slender, better suited for a life in the trees.

But in an alternate Earth, the lord of the jungles is the best of both worlds--an ape that is both grounded like the gorilla and arboreal like the orangutan. Which raises the question--which part of the body should gorilla inspire, and which should orangutan inspire? Specifically...

• Skull
• Arms
• Legs
• Height
• Weight
• Armspan

Using the features listed above, which ape should inspire which feature to create a genus capable of walking the forest floor and swinging the trees with equal ease?

posted over 7 years ago

JohnWDailey‭

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