Photos showing the hands and feet of different great apes

Hands or Feet?

By

Hands or Feet?

Gorilla walking on both hands and feetHands That Walk!

Sometimes great apes walk on two feet, just the way you do. But most of the time, great apes bend over and walk on their feet and hands!

Two or Four?

Great apes can run faster on all fours than they can on just their two feet. Look at this chimpanzee go!

Feet That Grab!

Apes are lucky: they have thumbs on both their hands and their feet. These thumbs allow apes to scratch, point, dig, hold, open, close, and even pick up things with their feet!

Hand or Foot?

Because it has a thumb, an ape’s foot looks a lot like a human hand!

Strong hands and feet help great apes climb and swing. Look how these orangutans use their hands and feet to grab onto vines and tree branches.