Gorilla

The gorilla, the largest of the primates, is a ground-dwelling herbivore that inhabits the forests of Africa. Divided into two species and (under debate as of 2006) either four or five subspecies. With 92-98% of its DNA being identical to that of a human, it is the second closest living relative to humans after the two chimpanzee species.

Physical characteristics

Gorillas move about by knuckle-walking. Adult males range in height from 1.65 m to 1.75 m (5.4 to 5.7 feet), and in weight from 140 kg to 165 kg (305 to 360 pounds). Females are about half the weight of males.

Gestation is 8½ months. There are typically 3–4 years between births. Infants stay with their mothers for 3–4 years. Females mature at 10–12 years (earlier in captivity); males 11–13 years, sometimes sooner if they assume leadership early. Lifespan is between 30–50 years. The Philadelphia Zoo's Massa set the longevity record of 54 years at the time of his death.

Gorillas are mainly vegetarian, eating fruits, leaves, and shoots. Insects make up 1-2% of their diet. Due to their diet of plant life, gorillas often have bloated stomachs.

Strength

Gorillas are renowned for their strength but no research has been conducted into how strong they are compared to humans.

Classification

Primatologists continue to explore the relationships between various gorilla populations. Until recently there were considered to be three species of gorilla, the Western Lowland, the Eastern Lowland and the Mountain Gorilla. There is now agreement that the gorilla is divided into two species of at least two subspecies each. More recently it has been claimed that a third subspecies exists in one of these groups.

• Western Gorilla, Gorilla gorilla
  • Western Lowland Gorilla, Gorilla gorilla gorilla
  • Cross River Gorilla, Gorilla gorilla diehli

• Eastern Gorilla, Gorilla beringei
  • Mountain Gorilla, Gorilla beringei beringei
  • Eastern Lowland Gorilla, Gorilla beringei graueri

The proposed third subspecies of Gorilla beringei which has not yet received a full latin designation is the Bwindi Gorilla. [1]

Both species of gorilla are endangered, and have been subject to intense poaching for a long time. Threats to gorilla survival include habitat destruction and the bushmeat trade.

All gorillas share a single blood type, B.

Gorilla culture

A silverback is an adult male gorilla, typically more than 12 years of age and named for the distinctive patch of silver hair on his back. A silverback gorilla has large canines that come with maturity. Blackbacks are sexually immature males of up to 11 years of age.

Silverbacks are the strong, dominant troop leaders. Each typically leads a troop of 5 to 30 gorillas and is the center 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.

Males will slowly begin to leave their original troop when they are about 11 years old, travelling alone or with a group of other males for 2–5 years before being able to attract females to form a new group and start breeding. While infant gorillas normally stay with their mother for 3–4 years, silverbacks will care for weaned young orphans.

If challenged by a younger or even by an outsider male, a silverback will scream, beat his chest, shake broken-off branches at the intruder, bare his teeth then charge forward. If he is killed by disease, accident, fighting or poachers, the group will split up or be taken over in its entirety by a male descendant or even an unrelated male; there is a strong risk that a new male may kill the infants of the dead silverback.

Intelligence

Gorillas are closely related to humans and are considered highly intelligent. A few individuals in captivity, such as Koko, have been taught a subset of sign language (see animal language for a discussion).

Natural tool use by all the "great apes"

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 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 that all of the great apes are now known to use tools. [2].

In September of 2005, a two and a half year old gorilla in the Republic of Congo was discovered using rocks to smash open palm nuts. Great apes are endowed with a semi-precision grip, and have been able to use both simple tools and even weapons, such as improvising a club from a convenient fallen branch.

Gorillas in pop culture

• The gorilla suit is an eternally popular gag costume on television series.
  • Among the earliest examples is the gorilla-suited Nairobi Trio, a recurring-gag element of the 1950s TV comedy series, The Ernie Kovacs Show
  • On the Canadian children's cable network YTV, a recurring character on the series The Zone is Gorilla Stan, a person wearing a cheap Halloween costume.
  • In the Oct. 31, 2002, Halloween episode of the NBC series Scrubs, chief of staff Dr. Bob Kelso (Ken Jenkins) wears a gorilla suit, unbeknownst to the doctors.
  • In the first season of NBC's L.A. Law, Harry Hamlin's character wooed the Susan Dey character while wearing a gorilla suit.
• A gorilla is a mascot for a number of sports teams:
  • The NBA's Phoenix Suns mascot is The Gorilla.
  • Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas, is the only public college in the United States to have a gorilla as mascot.
  • The Phillips Academy boarding school in Andover, Massachusetts, has a gorilla as an informal mascot.
• The giant gorilla is a recurring theme in film, especially in the various incarnations of King Kong and Mighty Joe Young.
• In the Planet of the Apes films, comic books, etc., normal-sized gorillas fill security/military roles.
• The namesake of the Donkey Kong video game franchise is a gorilla.
• Optimus Primal in the TV series and toy line Beast Wars and Beast Machines starts out as a regular gorilla. His beast modes get more technological in each incarnation.
• The protagonist of Don Martin's Mad Magazine strip "National Gorilla-Suit Day" is beset by gorillas (or persons dressed as gorillas). "National Gorilla-Suit Day" is celebrated every year on January 31st. Writer Mark Evanier promotes this holiday on his web site [3], [4]
• In the anime series "Sakigake! Cromartie High School," a gorilla is one of the more powerful delinquents at Cromartie High. He (she?) also plays backup guitar for "Freddie," a fellow student who may or may not be Freddie Mercury.
• In the award-winning novel Ishmael, written by Daniel Quinn, a gorilla teaches the protagonist about the history of humanity and the effect "civilized" culture has had on other species.
• Gorillas were frequently used as a gimmick to sell comics during the Silver Age of Comic Books: see Gorillas in comics.
• An intelligent gorilla named Grodd is a recurring super-villain of The Flash in DC Comics and the animated TV series Justice League and Justice League Unlimited.
• In the popular video game Halo 2, an alien race nicknamed the Brutes resemble evil gorillas.
• There is a children's musical group called Barking Gorillas [5]. Its theme is a dance song called "Barking Gorillas Bounce" [6], and its logo features three gorillas dressed as a barbershop trio.
• The British comedy series The Mighty Boosh features a talking gorilla named Bollo.
• In the animated Disney version of Tarzan, the hero's adopted family are gorillas (unlike the "Great Apes" of the original book), including Kala, Kerchak, Terk, and Tublat.
• In the Tarzan-parody animated TV series George of the Jungle, George's best friend is an erudite talking gorilla named Ape. In the 1997 film adaptation, Ape is voiced by John Cleese.
• A popular virtual band "The Gorillaz" is named after the animal.