# Could a man impregnate a chimp? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 6, 2001, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-man-impregnate-a-chimp/71502 "2001-07-06T17:09:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2001, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-man-impregnate-a-chimp/71502/1 "2001-07-06T17:09:16Z")
Considering that chimpanzees share over 98% of our DNA (over 99% if you exclude non-coding DNA), and are anatomically very similar (same organs, skeletal structure), wouldn’t this be possible? Of course, the hybrid offspring would not be fertile. But if a horse can breed with a donkey, why can’t a human successfully breed with a chimp? ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2001, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-man-impregnate-a-chimp/71502/2 "2001-07-06T17:22:10Z")
Hell, it would be a feat if a man could impregnate another man. ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2001, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-man-impregnate-a-chimp/71502/3 "2001-07-06T17:29:48Z")
Ummmmm… after rereading the thread title and the OP I have no idea what the hell I was trying to say with the above post. I apologize to **cynic** for starting his/her thread off so horribly. I will now slink back to my corner and put my self in time out. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2001, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-man-impregnate-a-chimp/71502/4 "2001-07-06T17:36:01Z")
Stop worrying. Just use a condom and you’ll be fine. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2001, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-man-impregnate-a-chimp/71502/5 "2001-07-06T17:38:06Z")
This has been discussed before, but if I tried to search for the thread at this time of day, it would make the server break down in tears. One big hurdle: chimpanzees have an extra pair of chromosomes compared to humans (48 for chimps and other great apes and 46 for people). But perhaps that’s not as big a hurdle as I once believed. Horses have two more chromosomes than asses, and they can mate to produce infertile offspring. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2001, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-man-impregnate-a-chimp/71502/6 "2001-07-06T19:49:54Z")
Maybe, but it would have to be through an act of [sub][sup]r[/sup][/sub]ape. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2001, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-man-impregnate-a-chimp/71502/7 "2001-07-06T20:04:57Z")
Would you be required to pay child support? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2001, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-man-impregnate-a-chimp/71502/8 "2001-07-06T20:43:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KarlGauss \* > \*\*Maybe, but it would have to be through an act of [sub][sup]r[/sup][/sub]ape. \*\* Out of curiosity do male chimpanzees ever rape female chimps or is all chimp sex consensual? ---
**Author:** ![Humble\_Servant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/47e85d/32.png) [@Humble\_Servant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Humble_Servant)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2001, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-man-impregnate-a-chimp/71502/9 "2001-07-06T20:59:36Z")
Oooh, I’ll post that link for you, **bibliophage** –[Can Humans and Chimps Breed?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=64664) I just happen to remember it.😃 ---
**Author:** ![heembo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f6c823/32.png) [@heembo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heembo)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2001, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-man-impregnate-a-chimp/71502/10 "2001-07-06T21:28:13Z")
The real question is: Can a man impregnate a cow? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2001, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-man-impregnate-a-chimp/71502/11 "2001-07-06T21:59:13Z")
Sure! Haven’t you ever seen the Olsen twins? ---
**Author:** ![cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2001, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-man-impregnate-a-chimp/71502/12 "2001-07-06T22:02:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Humble Servant \* > \*\*Oooh, I’ll post that link for you, **bibliophage** –[Can Humans and Chimps Breed?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=64664) I just happen to remember it.😃 \*\* Thank you, **Humble Servant** , for the link. My question was also inspired by Ridley’s _Genome_. ---
**Author:** ![City\_Gent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a87d85/32.png) [@City\_Gent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/City_Gent)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2001, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-man-impregnate-a-chimp/71502/13 "2001-07-06T22:32:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bibliophage \* > \*\*Horses have two more chromosomes than asses… \*\* The above statement implies that horses have three chromosomes. uh huhuuhuhuh_snort_ ---
**Author:** ![Humble\_Servant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/47e85d/32.png) [@Humble\_Servant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Humble_Servant)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2001, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-man-impregnate-a-chimp/71502/14 "2001-07-06T22:44:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cynic \* > **My question was also inspired by Ridley’s _Genome_.** You’re welcome–some of the answers in that thread were really wonderful. So, what’d ya think of the book? I thought the first half was great, but was disappointed that the second half abandoned explanation and drifted off into a GD defense of work on genetics (not that that is a bad position, but it’s not what I wanted to read about). ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2001, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-man-impregnate-a-chimp/71502/15 "2001-07-06T23:01:18Z")
I found an interesting article, but I’m not entirely sure how reliable it is. > [@](#): > > The answer came from an article titled “The Striking Resemblence of High-Resolution G-Banded Chromosomes of Man and Chimpanzee,” written by Jorge J. Yunis, Jeffrey R. Sawyer and Kelly Dunham [Science, Vol 208, 6 June 1980, pp. 1145-8]. . . . Among these differences [between human and chimp chromosomes] was the revelation of nine pericentric inversions. . . . Since there are nine of these, and since a cross with only one inversion results in semi-sterility, the answer must be: No, it’s not possible to cross a human being with a chimpanzee and obtain a viable offspring. > [http://www.prometheussociety.org/DaCapo.html](http://www.prometheussociety.org/DaCapo.html) ---
**Author:** ![gwar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@gwar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwar)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2001, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-man-impregnate-a-chimp/71502/16 "2001-07-06T23:18:32Z")
My Biology professor in college told us that humans could only mate with their human-like ancestors, such as the Homo habillus, Homo erectus, etc. But chimps, unfortunately for some, I guess, are not good mates. Chimps are not, by nature, “Homo”. ---
**Author:** ![cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2001, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-man-impregnate-a-chimp/71502/17 "2001-07-07T01:26:15Z")
> [@](#): > > So, what’d ya think of the book? I thought the first half was great, but was disappointed that the second half abandoned explanation and drifted off into a GD defense of work on genetics (not that that is a bad position, but it’s not what I wanted to read about). \*\* Agreed. But the book did have a lot of fascinating information, even though it was not organized effectively, IMO. I’ve heard that _The Red Queen_ is a better read. ---
**Author:** ![Gaspode](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aeb1de/32.png) [@Gaspode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaspode)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2001, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-man-impregnate-a-chimp/71502/18 "2001-07-07T01:46:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by astro \* > Out of curiosity do male chimpanzees ever rape female chimps or is all chimp sex consensual? \*\* Rape does occur in chimpanzee societies, though interestingly it appears to be absent in some tribes, suggesting a learned behaviour. Goodall never documented one rape in over 20 years of observation of her Chimps, yet other researchers have noted it several times in much shorter time periods. It has been suggested more than once however that Goodall never published her observations for fear of losing funding. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2001, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-man-impregnate-a-chimp/71502/19 "2001-07-07T02:03:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KarlGauss \* > \*\*Maybe, but it would have to be through an act of [sub][sup]r[/sup][/sub]ape. \*\* What if genders were reversed? Would it be “rape” if a woman had sex with a male Chimp? ---
**Author:** ![ephedra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/76d3ee/32.png) [@ephedra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ephedra)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2001, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-man-impregnate-a-chimp/71502/20 "2001-07-07T02:49:56Z")
I wonder if the chimpanzees involved were Bonobo? These are actually supposed to be our closest relatives. They also share our propensity for having sex just for the fun of it (although they do it quite a bit more than most of us do). In my opinion though, the answer isn’t settled scientifically until it’s been experimentally verified. Any volunteers? Now that the thread has had a reasonable response, I can share a little gossip. Rumour has it, in the upcoming “Planet of the Apes” movie, there was actually a sex scene between the human protagonist and a female ape. The director liked it, but the studio execs were afraid it would be interpreted as bestiality and had it cut. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-man-impregnate-a-chimp/71502.md?page=2)