I wrote this 5 years ago. It was about one of my favorite cousins.

The other ape species are very intelligent creatures.

Several years ago I was at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo standing next to a huge gorilla who was sitting on a stool. I turned my head to talk to my friends. When I was about to look at the gorilla he threw his entire weight at me. Completely forgetting the thick glass between us I was terrified. Then he smashed into the glass. He planned the whole thing. Best practical joke ever. Perfect timing. It was obvious he was laughing at me. Because of the glass I did not know if this was silent laughing but he was definitely laughing. I learned that day gorillas are very intelligent creatures which makes sense because we share an ancestor with them.