Topic: gorilla

Gorillas are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous great apes that inhabit the
tropical forests of central Sub-Saharan Africa. The genus Gorilla is divided into
two species: the eastern gorillas and the western gorillas, and either four or five
subspecies. They are the largest living primates. The DNA of gorillas is highly
similar to that of humans, from 95 to 99% depending on what is included, and they
are the next closest living relatives to humans after chimpanzees and bonobos.

Gorillas are the largest non-human primates, reaching heights between 1.25-1.8
metres, weights between 100–270 kg, and arm spans up to 2.6 metres, depending on
species and sex. They tend to live in troops, with the leader being called a
silverback. The Eastern gorilla is distinguished from the Western by darker fur
colour and some other minor morphological differences. Gorillas tend to live 35–40
years in the wild.

Gorillas' natural habitats cover tropical or subtropical forest in Sub-Saharan

Africa. Although their range covers a small percentage of Sub-Saharan Africa,
gorillas cover a wide range of elevations. The mountain gorilla inhabits the
Albertine Rift montane cloud forests of the Virunga Volcanoes, ranging in altitude
from 2,200 to 4,300 metres (7,200 to 14,100 ft). Lowland gorillas live in dense
forests and lowland swamps and marshes as low as sea level, with western lowland
gorillas living in Central West African countries and eastern lowland gorillas
living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo near its border with Rwanda.Despite
having a population as high as 200,000 individuals, Gorillas are some of the most
endangered apes in the world, and both the Eastern and Western Gorillas are
classified as Critically endangered by the IUCN. There are many threats to their
survival, such as poaching, habitat destruction, and disease, which threaten the
survival of the species. However, conservation efforts have been successful in some
areas where they live.
Etymology

The word "gorilla" comes from the history of Hanno the Navigator (c. 500 BC), a
Carthaginian explorer on an expedition to the west African coast to the area that
later became Sierra Leone. Members of the expedition encountered "savage people,
the greater part of whom were women, whose bodies were hairy, and whom our
interpreters called Gorillae". It is unknown whether what the explorers encountered
were what we now call gorillas, another species of ape or monkeys, or humans. Skins
of gorillai women, brought back by Hanno, are reputed to have been kept at Carthage
until Rome destroyed the city 350 years later at the end of the Punic Wars, 146 BC.

The American physician and missionary Thomas Staughton Savage and naturalist
Jeffries Wyman first described the western gorilla (they called it Troglodytes
gorilla) in 1847 from specimens obtained in Liberia. The name was derived from
Ancient Greek Γόριλλαι (gorillai) 'tribe of hairy women', described by Hanno.
Evolution and classification

The closest relatives of gorillas are the other two Homininae genera, chimpanzees
and humans, all of them having diverged from a common ancestor about 7 million
years ago. Human gene sequences differ only 1.6% on average from the sequences of
corresponding gorilla genes, but there is further difference in how many copies
each gene has. Until recently, gorillas were considered to be a single species,
with three subspecies: the western lowland gorilla, the eastern lowland gorilla and
the mountain gorilla. There is now agreement that there are two species, each with
two subspecies. More recently, a third subspecies has been claimed to exist in one
of the species. The separate species and subspecies developed from a single type of
gorilla during the Ice Age, when their forest habitats shrank and became isolated
from each other.Primatologists continue to explore the relationships between
various gorilla populations. The species and subspecies listed here are the ones
upon which most scientists agree.

The proposed third subspecies of Gorilla beringei, which has not yet received a
trinomen, is the Bwindi population of the mountain gorilla, sometimes called the
Bwindi gorilla.

Some variations that distinguish the classifications of gorilla include varying

density, size, hair colour, length, culture, and facial widths. Population genetics
of the lowland gorillas suggest that the western and eastern lowland populations
diverged ~261 thousand years ago.
Physical characteristics

Gorillas move around by knuckle-walking, although they sometimes walk upright for
short distances, typically while carrying food or in defensive situations. A 2018
study investigating the hand posture of 77 mountain gorillas at Bwindi Impenetrable
National Park (8% of the population) found that knuckle walking was done only 60%
of the time, and they also supported their weight on their fists, the backs of
their hands/feet, and on their palms/soles (with the digits flexed). Such a range
of hand postures was previously thought to have been used by only orangutans.
Studies of gorilla handedness have yielded varying results, with some arguing for
no preference for either hand, and others right-hand dominance for the general
population.Wild male gorillas weigh 136 to 227 kg (300 to 500 lb), while adult
females weigh 68–113 kg (150–250 lb). Adult males are 1.4 to 1.8 m (4 ft 7 in to 5
ft 11 in) tall, with an arm span that stretches from 2.3 to 2.6 m (7 ft 7 in to 8
ft 6 in). Female gorillas are shorter at 1.25 to 1.5 m (4 ft 1 in to 4 ft 11 in),
with smaller arm spans. Groves (1970) calculated the average weight of 42 wild
adult male gorillas at 144 kg, while Smith and Jungers (1997) found the average
weight of 19 wild adult male gorillas to be 169 kg. Adult male gorillas are known
as silverbacks due to the characteristic silver hair on their backs reaching to the
hips. The tallest gorilla recorded was a 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) silverback with an arm
span of 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in), a chest of 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in), and a weight of 219 kg
(483 lb), shot in Alimbongo, northern Kivu in May 1938. The heaviest gorilla
recorded was a 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) silverback shot in Ambam, Cameroon, which weighed
267 kg (589 lb). Males in captivity can be overweight and reach weights up to 310
kg (683 lb).

The eastern gorilla is more darkly coloured than the western gorilla, with the
mountain gorilla being the darkest of all. The mountain gorilla also has the
thickest hair. The western lowland gorilla can be brown or greyish with a reddish
forehead. In addition, gorillas that live in lowland forest are more slender and
agile than the more bulky mountain gorillas. The eastern gorilla also has a longer
face and broader chest than the western gorilla. Like humans, gorillas have
individual fingerprints.

Their eye colour is dark brown, framed by a black ring around the iris. Gorilla
facial structure is described as mandibular prognathism, that is, the mandible
protrudes farther out than the maxilla. Adult males also have a prominent sagittal
crest.

Studies have shown gorilla blood is not reactive to anti-A and anti-B monoclonal
antibodies, which would, in humans, indicate type O blood. Due to novel sequences,
though, it is different enough to not conform with the human ABO blood group
system, into which the other great apes fit.A gorilla's lifespan is normally
between 35 and 40 years, although zoo gorillas may live for 50 years or more. Colo,
a female western gorilla at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, was the oldest known
gorilla at 60 years of age when she died on 17 January 2017.
Distribution and habitat

Gorillas have a patchy distribution. The range of the two species is separated by
the Congo River and its tributaries. The western gorilla lives in west central
Africa, while the eastern gorilla lives in east central Africa. Between the
species, and even within the species, gorillas live in a variety of habitats and
elevations. Gorilla habitat ranges from montane forest to swampland. Eastern
gorillas inhabit montane and submontane forest between 650 and 4,000 m (2,130 and
13,120 ft) above sea level. Mountain gorillas live in montane forest at the higher
end of the elevation range, while eastern lowland gorillas live in submontane
forest at the lower end. In addition, eastern lowland gorillas live in montane
bamboo forest, as well as lowland forest ranging from 600–3,308 m (1,969–10,853 ft)
in elevation. Western gorillas live in both lowland swamp forest and montane
forest, at elevations ranging from sea level to 1,600 m (5,200 ft). Western lowland
gorillas live in swamp and lowland forest ranging up to 1,600 m (5,200 ft), and
Cross River gorillas live in low-lying and submontane forest ranging from 150–1,600
m (490–5,250 ft).
Nesting

Gorillas construct nests for daytime and night use. Nests tend to be simple
aggregations of branches and leaves about 2 to 5 ft (0.61 to 1.52 m) in diameter
and are constructed by individuals. Gorillas, unlike chimpanzees or orangutans,
tend to sleep in nests on the ground. The young nest with their mothers, but
construct nests after three years of age, initially close to those of their
mothers. Gorilla nests are distributed arbitrarily and use of tree species for site
and construction appears to be opportunistic. Nest-building by great apes is now
considered to be not just animal architecture, but as an important instance of tool
use.
Food and foraging

A gorilla's day is divided between rest periods and travel or feeding periods.
Diets differ between and within species. Mountain gorillas mostly eat foliage, such
as leaves, stems, pith, and shoots, while fruit makes up a very small part of their
diets. Mountain gorilla food is widely distributed and neither individuals nor
groups have to compete with one another. Their home ranges vary from 3 to 15 km2
(1.16 to 5.79 mi2), and their movements range around 500 m (0.31 mi) or less on an
average day. Despite eating a few species in each habitat, mountain gorillas have
flexible diets and can live in a variety of habitats.

Eastern lowland gorillas have more diverse diets, which vary seasonally. Leaves and
pith are commonly eaten, but fruits can make up as much as 25% of their diets.
Since fruit is less available, lowland gorillas must travel farther each day, and
their home ranges vary from 2.7 to 6.5 km2 (1.04 to 2.51 mi2), with day ranges 154–
2,280 m (0.096–1.417 mi). Eastern lowland gorillas will also eat insects,
preferably ants. Western lowland gorillas depend on fruits more than the others and
they are more dispersed across their range. They travel even farther than the other
gorilla subspecies, at 1,105 m (0.687 mi) per day on average, and have larger home
ranges of 7–14 km2 (2.70–5.41 mi2). Western lowland gorillas have less access to
terrestrial herbs, although they can access aquatic herbs in some areas. Termites
and ants are also eaten.

Gorillas rarely drink water "because they consume succulent vegetation that is
comprised of almost half water as well as morning dew", although both mountain and
lowland gorillas have been observed drinking.
Behaviour
Social structure

Gorillas live in groups called troops. Troops tend to be made of one adult male or
silverback, multiple adult females and their offspring. However, multiple-male
troops also exist. A silverback is typically more than 12 years of age, and is
named for the distinctive patch of silver hair on his back, which comes with
maturity. Silverbacks also have large canine teeth that also come with maturity.
Both males and females tend to emigrate from their natal groups. For mountain
gorillas, females disperse from their natal troops more than males. Mountain
gorillas and western lowland gorillas also commonly transfer to second new
groups.Mature males also tend to leave their groups and establish their own troops
by attracting emigrating females. However, male mountain gorillas sometimes stay in
their natal troops and become subordinate to the silverback. If the silverback
dies, these males may be able to become dominant or mate with the females. This
behaviour has not been observed in eastern lowland gorillas. In a single male
group, when the silverback dies, the females and their offspring disperse and find
a new troop. Without a silverback to protect them, the infants will likely fall
victim to infanticide. Joining a new group is likely to be a tactic against this.
However, while gorilla troops usually disband after the silverback dies, female
eastern lowlands gorillas and their offspring have been recorded staying together
until a new silverback transfers into the group. This likely serves as protection
from leopards.

The silverback is the centre of the troop's attention, making all the decisions,
mediating conflicts, determining the movements of the group, leading the others to
feeding sites, and taking responsibility for the safety and well-being of the
troop. Younger males subordinate to the silverback, known as blackbacks, may serve
as backup protection. Blackbacks are aged between 8 and 12 years and lack the
silver back hair. The bond that a silverback has with his females forms the core of
gorilla social life. Bonds between them are maintained by grooming and staying
close together. Females form strong relationships with males to gain mating
opportunities and protection from predators and infanticidal outside males.
However, aggressive behaviours between males and females do occur, but rarely lead
to serious injury. Relationships between females may vary. Maternally related
females in a troop tend to be friendly towards each other and associate closely.
Otherwise, females have few friendly encounters and commonly act aggressively
towards each other.Females may fight for social access to males and a male may
intervene. Male gorillas have weak social bonds, particularly in multiple-male
groups with apparent dominance hierarchies and strong competition for mates. Males
in all-male groups, though, tend to have friendly interactions and socialise
through play, grooming, and staying together, and occasionally they even engage in
homosexual interactions. Severe aggression is rare in stable groups, but when two
mountain gorilla groups meet the two silverbacks can sometimes engage in a fight to
the death, using their canines to cause deep, gaping injuries.
Competition

One possible predator of gorillas is the leopard. Gorilla remains have been found
in leopard scat, but this may be the result of scavenging. When the group is
attacked by humans, leopards, or other gorillas, an individual silverback will
protect the group, even at the cost of his own life.
Reproduction and parenting

Females mature at 10–12 years (earlier in captivity), and males at 11–13 years. A
female's first ovulatory cycle occurs when she is six years of age, and is followed
by a two-year period of adolescent infertility. The estrous cycle lasts 30–33 days,
with outward ovulation signs subtle compared to those of chimpanzees. The gestation
period lasts 8.5 months. Female mountain gorillas first give birth at 10 years of
age and have four-year interbirth intervals. Males can be fertile before reaching
adulthood. Gorillas mate year round.Females will purse their lips and slowly
approach a male while making eye contact. This serves to urge the male to mount
her. If the male does not respond, then she will try to attract his attention by
reaching towards him or slapping the ground. In multiple-male groups, solicitation
indicates female preference, but females can be forced to mate with multiple males.
Males incite copulation by approaching a female and displaying at her or touching
her and giving a "train grunt". Recently, gorillas have been observed engaging in
face-to-face sex, a trait once considered unique to humans and bonobos.
Gorilla infants are vulnerable and dependent, thus mothers, their primary
caregivers, are important to their survival. Male gorillas are not active in caring
for the young, but they do play a role in socialising them to other youngsters. The
silverback has a largely supportive relationship with the infants in his troop and
shields them from aggression within the group. Infants remain in contact with their
mothers for the first five months and mothers stay near the silverback for
protection. Infants suckle at least once per hour and sleep with their mothers in
the same nest.Infants begin to break contact with their mothers after five months,
but only for a brief period each time. By 12 months old, infants move up to five
meters (16 feet) from their mothers. At around 18–21 months, the distance between
mother and offspring increases and they regularly spend time away from each other.
In addition, nursing decreases to once every two hours. Infants spend only half of
their time with their mothers by 30 months. They enter their juvenile period at
their third year, and this lasts until their sixth year. At this time, gorillas are
weaned and they sleep in a separate nest from their mothers. After their offspring
are weaned, females begin to ovulate and soon become pregnant again. The presence
of play partners, including the silverback, minimizes conflicts in weaning between
mother and offspring.
Communication

Twenty-five distinct vocalisations are recognised, many of which are used primarily
for group communication within dense vegetation. Sounds classified as grunts and
barks are heard most frequently while traveling, and indicate the whereabouts of
individual group members. They may also be used during social interactions when
discipline is required. Screams and roars signal alarm or warning, and are produced
most often by silverbacks. Deep, rumbling belches suggest contentment and are heard
frequently during feeding and resting periods. They are the most common form of
intragroup communication.For this reason, conflicts are most often resolved by
displays and other threat behaviours that are intended to intimidate without
becoming physical. As a result, they don't fight very frequently. The ritualized
charge display is unique to gorillas. The entire sequence has nine steps: (1)
progressively quickening hooting, (2) symbolic feeding, (3) rising bipedally, (4)
throwing vegetation, (5) chest-beating with cupped hands, (6) one leg kick, (7)
sideways running, two-legged to four-legged, (8) slapping and tearing vegetation,
and (9) thumping the ground with palms to end display.A gorilla's chest-beat may
vary in frequency depending on its size. Smaller ones tend to have higher
frequencies, while larger ones tend to be lower. They also do it the most when
females are ready to mate.
Intelligence

Gorillas are considered highly intelligent. A few individuals in captivity, such as

Koko, have been taught a subset of sign language. Like the other great apes,
gorillas can laugh, grieve, have "rich emotional lives", develop strong family
bonds, make and use tools, and think about the past and future. Some researchers
believe gorillas have spiritual feelings or religious sentiments. They have been
shown to have cultures in different areas revolving around different methods of
food preparation, and will show individual colour preferences.
Tool use

The following observations were made by a team led by Thomas Breuer of the Wildlife
Conservation Society in September 2005. Gorillas are now known to use tools in the
wild. A female gorilla in the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in the Republic of Congo
was recorded using a stick as if to gauge the depth of water whilst crossing a
swamp. A second female was seen using a tree stump as a bridge and also as a
support whilst fishing in the swamp. This means all of the great apes are now known
to use tools.In September 2005, a two-and-a-half-year-old gorilla in the Republic
of Congo was discovered using rocks to smash open palm nuts inside a game
sanctuary. While this was the first such observation for a gorilla, over 40 years
previously, chimpanzees had been seen using tools in the wild 'fishing' for
termites. Nonhuman great apes are endowed with semiprecision grips, and have been
able to use both simple tools and even weapons, such as improvising a club from a
convenient fallen branch.
Scientific study

American physician and missionary Thomas Staughton Savage obtained the first
specimens (the skull and other bones) during his time in Liberia. The first
scientific description of gorillas dates back to an article by Savage and the
naturalist Jeffries Wyman in 1847 in Proceedings of the B