Chimpanzees Vs Humans

At this very moment, there are over 5,400 species of mammals living on Earth, every one of them unlike the others. Humans, or Homo sapiens, are one of these numerous, utterly unique animals that inhabit this planet. We contain a vast amount of qualities that set us apart from all others organisms alive. One of the chief significances of these differences is the fact that humans are the only mammals that are permanently bipedal. We were not always able to walk on two legs, but thousands of years of evolutionary design has molded our bodies to be capable of two-legged transportation. Various morphological changes contribute to bipedality in humans, but possibly the most important aspect of the development of upright walking is the change in …show more content…
They have vastly different spinal structures than humans that display that adaptational and evolutionary differences. Pan troglodytes’ spines have an opposite distribution of thickness. While the cervical vertebrae are similar to humans as they serve the same function, the chimpanzees vertebrae are thickest and sturdiest in the thoracic section. Descending from there, the vertebrae become increasing smaller and slimmer as they approach the sacrum. Chimpanzees have a substantially larger surface area than humans in all but the lumbar vertebrae. While humans require strong lower back muscles to keep the body upright, apes need thick, sturdy vertebrae in their upper back so they can have connections to the extraordinary shoulder and arm muscles that help them move swiftly while putting a great deal of weight on their upper body. They are adapted to thrive in forested environments where they climb and swing through the trees for much of their lives, thus greater support is needed for the upper body. Perhaps the feature of greatest significance is the chimpanzee’s gently sloping back and flat lumbar spine. This smooth curvature forms a sort of C-shape as opposed to the Homo sapiens’ S-shape. This curve is perfect for a quadruped, but on two legs it would not be able to properly distribute weight evenly, resulting in increased impact. Essentially, this means that bipedalism is possible for extremely …show more content…
While currently humans are the most developed they have ever been, there is nothing to say that in several of thousands of years we will not be completely different than we are today. As long as the world continues to change, it will be a necessity for species to continue adapting and modifying themselves in order to best survive and