A funny thing happened to us humans when we established ourselves at the top of the evolutionary ladder: We developed a severe case of species anxiety.
“What,” we started to wonder, “makes us so special that we should come to occupy the position of apex animal? Is it our evolved brains? Our opposable thumbs? Why are we here?” These are the sort of existential questions with which other species are mercifully unburdened. We, however, are not so lucky. As this planet’s reigning life form, we’ve created culture, philosophy, and technological wonders, all while wondering whether ours was a unique case of evolutionary dominance, or if we are simply placeholders until another species comes of age.
Enter: The Ape
As our nearest cladistic cousin, apes occupy a unique place in the human psyche: They are familiar enough that we can easily establish a sense of biological kinship, while simultaneously foreign enough to hint at some arcane truth to which we, in our evolutionary rush to the top, are no longer privy. It is a dynamic that is equal parts fascinating and frustrating, propelling us to examine not only our own species, but our nearest proximal ones, and the thin Darwinian membrane which separates us. We obsess over that narrow line, especially when it becomes porous or undefined, indignant at the thought of descending from a common simian forefather, laughing when apes act “just like us,” and recently, perplexed by the ethical dilemmas of situating non-humans in our evolving notions of ethics and rights.
Exploring that liminal space between humans and our evolutionary next-of-kin is a way to contextualize, and even alleviate, some of our uniquely species-related anxiety. And of all the ways we do so, perhaps none is as uniquely human as the trope of the “smart ape;” creatures which, across books, films, and folklore, look like them, but act like us. Stories about talking chimps, philosophical gorillas, and literary-minded orangutans do more than just present us with amusing characters. Whether intentionally or not, they help us consider what it means to truly be human in the face of these fictional imposters. By forcing an evolutionary leap onto our nearest biological relatives, merrily blurring the lines that ostensibly separate “us” from “them,” we can, perhaps, clarify what makes us “us” in the first place.
What follows is an overview—by no means comprehensive—of some of the most important brainy apes our species has managed to invent. Some apes on the list will be immediately recognizable, others, perhaps a bit more obscure. Each ape, however, has something unique to contribute to our own species’ ongoing interrogation of the features we jealously guard as uniquely our own.
So put those evolved frontal lobes to good use, take those opposable thumbs, and click through to see some of the smartest apes our all-too-human minds have created.
Ketel Marte was brought to tears during an MLB game after facing a shameful fan taunt.
Baseball manager's poignant support for a player brought to tears after shameful fan taunt
Whether they’re expecting perfection from their favorite players or, worse, behaving callously toward opposing teams, sports fans often forget that athletes are human beings. But athletic competition has the ability to unify and uplift, even amid such painful and unpleasant encounters. Take, for example, a major-league baseball game held June 24, 2025 between the home team Chicago White Sox and visiting Arizona Diamondbacks.
A shameful low point occurred when Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte was at bat in the seventh inning. Per ESPN, a fan reportedly yelled out a comment regarding Marte’s late mother, Elpidia Valdez, who died in a 2017 car accident in the Dominican Republic. Team personnel, including manager Torey Lovullo, then requested the 22-year-old fan be ejected. (Though he was remorseful and admitted his actions were inappropriate, according to an ESPN source, he was nonetheless banned indefinitely from all MLB ballparks.) "We commend the White Sox for taking immediate action in removing the fan," the MLB said in a statement. Marte reportedly declined to comment.
- YouTubewww.youtube.com
While the fan’s behavior is inexcusable, it did spark a powerful and inspiring moment. After hearing the comment, Marte was visibly upset, prompting Lovullo to walk on the field, put his arm around him, and offer some words of encouragement. "[I said,] 'I love you, and I’m with you, and we’re all together, and you’re not alone,'" Lovullo said in a post-game interview, as documented by The Rich Eisen Show. "'No matter what happens, no matter what was said or what you’re heard, that guy is an idiot.’"
According to Arizona Republic, Lovullo heard the fan’s comment but didn’t want to repeat it. “I looked right at [Marte] when I heard,” he said. “I looked right at him, and he looked at the person, as well. He put his head down and I could tell it had an immediate impact on him, for sure."
Elsewhere in the post-game interview, the manager called the moment "terrible" and reflected on why he stood up for Marte. "Fans are nasty, and fans go too far sometimes," he said. "I love my players, and I’m gonna protect them…I’ve known Ketel for nine years. He’s had some unbelievably great moments and some hardships as well and some really tough moments in his life. I know those. At the end of the day, we’re human beings, and we have emotions. I saw him hurting, and I wanted to protect him."
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The following day, the Chicago White Sox X account sent out a message in support of Marte, writing, "We’re with you" and "Baseball is family." On The Rich Eisen Show, the show's host addressed the need to eradicate this kind of toxic athlete-fan interaction: "I was hearing [people saying], 'There’s no place for this in major league baseball.' There isn’t. There’s no place for this in our society. I understand that people are saying the MLB has got to do something about this. Fans have a right to heckle players—this is something that has happened forever…But there is a line."
In another recent, depressing sports moment with a beautiful coda, let’s look to Game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the eventual champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. During the first quarter, Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton tore his right Achilles tendon—a devastating injury that could potentially sideline him for most of the 2025-2026 season. Following the game, in a lovely display of sportsmanship, Thunder point-guard and league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went to the Pacers locker room to check on his competitor. In a press conference, he said, "You just hate to see it, in sports in general. But in this moment, my heart dropped for him. I can't imagine playing the biggest game of my life and something like that happening. It’s so unfortunate."
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