The third Chimpanzee by Jared Diamond

The third Chimpanzee by Jared Diamond

Book review

Audiobook

No spoilers

Listening time – over 17 hours

Rating- for non fiction fan 4.5/5 only because I am comparing it to his absolute thriller of a book called Guns, Germs and  Steel which is incomparable of course and the author does mention the same directly or indirectly.

He starts with introduction and premise on how the Homo sapien is very closely related to the chimp and only differs from it by less than 2 percent! He also mentions how in the classification, human will be called the third chimpanzee and hence the heading!

Then he goes on to explain the sexual behaviour of many animals chiefly humans going into details over genitalia and ovulation and menopause which apparently is only limited to humans. He also goes into the differences between apes and gorillas and chimps and how they differ from humans. He also goes on to say how in some animal during the period of ovulation there occurs a colour change and it is not a secret like how it is in humans! In fact he goes on with a hypothetical example on how if humans had visible signs of ovulation and how if the woman consummates with every other human like an animal the complications which would arise! Of course he also states how the size of genitalia or even the existence of similar appendages in many animals offers no evolutionary advantage! Later on though he does a type one error and concluded how it does offer an advantage using different species for example.

The section is described in such details that at one point it feels a lot and that’s when the rating dropped by half a point! I guess the author understood that and he has now written an entire book on this!

He then moves on to world conquest and back on track!
He mentions about about first contact and this is a very important matter especially between either two animals species and between humans and other humans and animals. It is here he introduces the terms of Germs and guns and this acts as a prelude to his next book Guns, germs and steel which unfortunately I read before and inadvertently raised my expectations on this one!
He mentions several examples on these contacts using examples of war and conquest and also linguistic differences. These are one of the best sections of the book where he explains the chief distinction of Homo Sapien; intelligent speech! He also mentions several examples in the animal kingdom of birds and monkeys who have different sounds or grunt to indicate speech!
He also mentions different language where you have difference in vowels and also in pitch! An extension of his could be the very famous book The horse the wheel and the language by David W Anthony which incidentally is my current read!
He also mentions about art and how many animals also practice art though they do not do it for pleasure or fame unlike humans!
The section on how a type of monkey cheats other monkeys makes us realise how we are not that different!

The last section of the book is how mankind is directly linked to destruction! He gives several examples on whenever there is a resurgence of mankind there follows destruction and many times extinction! He tells even though there are examples even in animal kind of killing and  rape, it is so rare and so unique only to the Homo sapien!
In between the whole book he mentions tit bits about his kids (twin boys!) and it is understood that he is in a fatherly mode and he wants a safe and mostly intact earth for his children! He tells about how humans are alone in the vast galaxy and he also talks about development of radio as being the focus of evolution in any planet which means that the species of that planet has reached to that level of evolution!

In a gloomy way he told of the ways we are destroying our climate in a pace which can never be halted even if we start now. He also compares how what the current human is doing is more worse than even the even which wiped out the dinosaurs and other living beings in the planet at the time.
We have reached a level of destruction that is irrecoverable so lets act as soon as possible!
Although having realised the melancholy he does hold back the negativity and gives some home though it is clear that the time for earth is running out and we have to act fast!

The final chapter is a summary of the events of the homo development and in in fact the summary of the next book!

Please listen or read this one before Guns, germs and Steel though it will still stimulate your intellect if you are a history buff and a fan of environment!

Have fun!