Gorillas are large animals with 98% of their DNA resembling human’s. As herbivores, they exhibit various behaviors.
Each mountain gorilla has an individual nose print, just as each human does. Scientists use the wrinkle patterns above each nostril to identify a gorilla and track its movements over time.
They can walk on their knuckles
Gorillas possess a special form of locomotion known as “knuckle walking”, which allows them to traverse trees and the ground easily. This adaptation allows gorillas to use their long fingers for gripping which would otherwise be difficult under two-foot locomotion. Knuckle-walking also leaves more surface area available for food carrying or carrying other objects; according to researchers at Case Western Reserve University. Knuckle walking may have evolved from an ancestral form used by both chimpanzees and gorillas during prehistorical times;
Researchers led by anthropologist and primatologist Bruce Latimer conducted this research. Their team discovered that apes have wrist bones designed differently than bipeds, which enabled them to walk on their knuckles, with locking bones to support arm weight when moving knuckle-walking. A triangular-shaped torso also aids this form of movement as it absorbs shock similar to human feet arches.
Though gorillas knuckle-walk most often, they can still use two legs for short periods to move about. This occurs when climbing or carrying something such as an infant or food. Also when they engage in chest-beating behavior designed to demonstrate aggression and dominance.
Gorillas use more than their hands for walking; they also employ them in creating tools for hunting and gathering food. Gorillas have even been known to use sticks for measuring river depth, constructing ladders from bamboo, or crafting “cutlery” from twigs in order to catch and snack on stinging insects.
Gorillas are gentle giants with human-like behaviors and emotions. Sharing 98% of their DNA with us humans, they live up to 40 years. Living predominantly in forests where groups travel under leadership of an alpha male known as a silverback leader, gorillas are keystone species whose actions significantly shape the ecosystem of their habitats.
They can climb trees
Gorillas are quadrupeds, or animals which walk on four legs. While in the wild they spend little time climbing trees, gorillas in captivity may climb them for fun or as an escape route from other animals; some facilities even construct climbing towers for their residents!
Gorillas live in groups known as “troops.” Each troop contains five to 30 gorillas, and is led by a dominant male known as a silverback who acts as the leader and decides where their food sources will come from each day and decides where they sleep at night (either on the ground or tree). His job is essential because of how it protects his troop members.
Gorillas in the wild typically reach 40 years of age or older and are large omnivorous mammals that feed on fruit, plants, stems, roots, leaves and insects – necessitating climbing trees for sustenance.
Gorillas possess long arms and hands with wide fingers and toes featuring opposable thumbs, leathery bottomed feet with wide nails, rounded fingertips that enable them to grasp small objects easily as well as sensitive tongues for tasting food and drinking water.
At birth, newborn gorillas weigh several pounds. At first, they cannot hold on to their mother immediately but will eventually learn how to crawl. By four months old they’re walking on all fours and climbing over them – staying with their mothers until four to six years old when sharing a nest together.
As babies mature into adolescents, they will leave their mother and form their own troop. At eight years old, female gorillas become sexually mature enough to start having babies; to do this successfully they must find another troop or an alone silverback to mate with.
Gorillas cannot climb trees as high due to their weight; therefore, only about 20% of their day is spent up in them compared with similar primates such as chimpanzees and orangutans.
They can learn sign language
Gorillas in the wild use an array of vocalizations, including grunts, barks, whimpers, whines, chuckles and hoots, to communicate. Hand gestures allow them to show emotion or interact with each other. Gorillas have even been observed imitating human speech patterns while learning from each other and making and understanding simple commands.
Koko, a female western lowland gorilla born in 1971 at San Francisco Zoo was one of the first animals taught sign language. Koko began her training with Francine “Penny” Patterson when she was six months old using “molding” techniques to mold Koko’s hands into correct shapes.
Over the course of her training, she learned more than 1,000 signs. In addition, her vocabulary far outshone that of human signers. Unfortunately, however, she was unable to produce complete sentences and it remains uncertain if apes understand what they’re signing.
Gorillas belong to the same order of primates as humans and share many physical and psychological similarities with us. Gorillas live in groups known as troops, with one dominant male (known as a silverback) leading and mating with all the female members in each troop.
Gorilla intelligence and emotional experience is comparable to human life; gorillas laugh and cry during playtime, grieve for loved ones who have passed on, and mourn their own dead just like humans do. Additionally, reproduction mimics human biology closely: female gorillas fertile for several days each month while gestating eight-9 months before giving birth.
Carl Akeley, a museum curator, conducted the first systematic studies of gorillas in the 1920s. As an early pioneer in animal behavior studies, his work helped heighten interest for them among scientists, zoologists and general audiences alike. Today his book On the Gorilla Trail remains an authoritative work on gorilla research.
Gorillas, like their counterparts among the great apes, are highly intelligent animals with similar brain structures to humans. Gorillas can remember things that happened in their past as well as make predictions for the future; making them invaluable resources for researchers in various studies.
They can beat their chests
People have long been fascinated with gorillas since seeing King Kong and Donkey Kong from Mario series beating their chests with their fists. While most would assume this behavior serves only as a threat display, mountain gorillas actually use cupped hands in an alternating pattern to do this instead of hitting their chest with fists. While most would mistakenly view this action as threat display, its purpose could actually be multiplefold.
Gorilla chest-pounding serves many functions. First, it lets others in their group know when someone in particular wants a fight; it also lets other gorillas know who the dominant gorillas are – something which is especially essential in the wild where there may be many competing gorillas.
However, what makes this behavior truly remarkable is how it could potentially help gorillas avoid fights. According to German scientists’ research published last week in Scientific Reports, chest-pummeling may advertise male gorilla’s size and fighting prowess to rivals – helping gorillas avoid fights altogether.
Researchers studied recordings of male gorillas in the wild and discovered that their pec-pounding was more than just an aggressive display; its chest beats were more like drum solos than threats. This multimodal non-vocal signal can be heard up to one kilometer away and includes an alternating pattern of chest beating and slurred growling, possibly used to attract females or intimidate rival males. Researchers believe this type of communication helps attract females while intimidating rival males.
An intriguing aspect of this behavior is that it only occurs in male gorillas when present among other males or other gorillas, suggesting it may be used to signal dominance and avoid conflicts in the future. Furthermore, it shows they are willing to fight should battle arises.
Moviegoers often depict gorillas beating their chest aggressively as an intimidating display, yet in real life these animals tend to use this display more as an avoidance measure than an aggressive threat display. Although pounding on chest does not necessarily start fights between gorillas, it does signal dominance and readiness to defend their territory.