Prime Ape

"Those things are going to be the end of me."

- Wilson Prime Apes are neutral Mobs that live in Prime Ape Huts from the Shipwrecked DLC. They bear a striking resemblance to the Splumonkeys. A Prime Ape will sometimes follow the player and collect items on the ground. This act of collecting items doesn't just target naturally spawning items but also items that the player has farmed or dropped. Attacking a Prime Ape will aggravate it and cause any nearby Prime Apes to become aggressive. Prime Apes that have become aggressive will attack by standing at a distance to throw Manure at the player. Upon death, Prime Apes can drop Bananas, Manure, 1 Morsel and any items they have picked up.

Behavior
Prime Apes will curiously scavenge for most items they find on the ground, and may also pick Berry Bushes and harvest then eat crops. If one notices the player, it will not lose interest easily. A Prime Ape may become a pest of sorts as their habit of picking up items from the ground may be a little more than an inconvenience to the player. However, due to their tendency to snatch up things they find, they will also pick and eat Mandrakes, shortly falling asleep for a short while, rendering them vulnerable to a couple of hits. Prime Apes will attempt to pick up Backpack slot items, but will continually drop them. Prime Apes will wear hats they pick up.

A Prime Ape will generally look to its companions for assistance should it be needing help fighting. As such, if a player is to attack a Prime Ape, it may howl to the others and attract them to its aid. A player willing to start a fight with a large group of Prime Apes should be cautious since their throw attack will lower sanity considerably if they are hit by the Manure, however do no damage to health.

It is possible to tame a Prime Ape using a Banana. This allied Prime Ape will help the player fight should they engage in combat, including against other Prime Apes. Befriended Prime Apes will not pick items up off the ground, so a player may safely drop their supplies without fear.

Trivia

 * Its name may be a pun on the term "primate", the order of animals that include monkeys, apes, lemurs, and humans.