ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

The Mentality of Apes

Okay, so let's imagine you're like a little monkey swinging in the jungle with your family. You and your monkey-friends might have different ways of acting or thinking compared to other animals like birds or insects.

Now, monkeys can have different types of behaviour or culture depending on their species or where they live. Some monkeys might be more shy, some might be more curious, and some might even use tools like sticks or stones to help them get food or defend themselves.

But overall, monkeys are social animals, which means they like to hang out with other monkeys and do things together. They might groom each other to show they're friends or give each other warnings if there's danger around.

Just like humans, monkeys can also have emotions like happiness, sadness, or anger. When they're happy, they might jump around or make excited noises. When they're sad, they might hug each other or look down. And when they're angry, they might show their teeth or make loud calls to scare off others.

However, because they can't talk like we can, monkeys have to use body language and sounds to communicate. So, they might use different facial expressions or gestures to convey different messages.

So, in short, the mentality of apes is about how they think, feel, and behave as a group of social animals who use various methods to communicate with each other.