Main content

Chimp ID guide

Chimpanzees and humans share 98% of their DNA, so it's not surprising that every chimp looks uniquely different, with facial features, familial traits, build and gait all varying from chimp to chimp.

For the Dynasties crew, all these cues helped them tell each of the characters apart.

In addition to this, all the chimps in the group (particularly the males) tend to get into a lot of scraps. These result in many war wounds, which can help to set them apart even further – scars, missing digits, and most importantly, the notches on their ears. For the film crew, this was the easiest place to start learning to identify the characters.

Recognisable features:

  • Face, ears, hands, colour, stature and gait.

  • Learning just a few of these traits for each chimp helped the crew identify them while filming, both up close and from a distance.

  • All the individuals listed below have been named by the experts who study them.

David

David is the alpha male. A leader with a huge amount of charisma and presence. He often spends time on his own, keeping away from the group and therefore staying away from trouble. At the start of filming David had been alpha for three years.

How to identify David:

I. A three pronged left ear and missing top half of his right ear


II. Raised ridges under his eyes


III. Often holds his head down with eyes looking up

KL

KL is an older and wiser male than David. He is past his prime, beyond the age of competing against David for the alpha position. He is a clever and very loyal chimp – the perfect ally for David when times get tough.

How to identify KL:

I. Missing most of both ears


II. White stripes either side of his nose


III. Hollow cheeks

Luthor

Luthor is an aggressive, strong and ambitious young male. He was fifth in the hierarchy of the group at the start of filming and was setting his sights on the top spot.

How to identify Luthor:

I. Triangular piece missing from left ear


II. Pale flecked skin above top lip


III. Small deep-set eyes