Gorilla[1]
Western Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Primates Family: Hominidae Subfamily: Homininae Tribe: Gorillini Genus: Gorilla I. Geoffroy, 1852
Type species
Troglodytes gorilla Savage, 1847
distribution of Gorilla
Species
Gorilla gorilla Gorilla beringei

Gorillas, the largest of the living primates, are ground-dwelling herbivores that inhabit the forests of Africa. The Western Gorilla ( Gorilla gorilla) is the most populous species of the genus Gorilla. Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands A primate is a member of the biological order Primates ( Latin: "prime first rank" the group that contains Lemurs the Aye-aye Homininae is a subfamily of Hominidae, including Humans and some extinct relatives as well as the Gorillas and the Chimpanzees It comprises Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire ( December 16, 1805 - November 10, 1861) was a French zoologist and an authority on In biology a type is that which fixes a name to a Taxon. Depending on the nomenclature code which is applied to the organism in question a type may be a specimen The Western Gorilla ( Gorilla gorilla) is the most populous species of the genus Gorilla. Thomas Staughton Savage (1804-1880 was an American Protestant clergyman missionary Physician and naturalist. In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. The Western Gorilla ( Gorilla gorilla) is the most populous species of the genus Gorilla. The Eastern Gorilla ( Gorilla beringei) is a species of the genus Gorilla and the largest living Primate. A primate is a member of the biological order Primates ( Latin: "prime first rank" the group that contains Lemurs the Aye-aye Herbivory is a form of Predation in which an Organism, known as a herbivore, consumes principally Autotrophs ref name=Campbell>Campbell A forest is an area with a high density of Trees There are many definitions of a forest based on various criteria Gorillas are divided into two species and (still under debate as of 2008) either four or five subspecies. The DNA of gorillas is 97%–98% identical to that of a human,^[2][3] and they are the next closest living relatives to humans after the two chimpanzee species. Deoxyribonucleic acid ( DNA) is a Nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known Human evolutionary genetics studies how one Human genome differs from the other the evolutionary past that gave rise to it and its current effects Human beings, humans or man (Origin 1590–1600 L homō man OL hemō the earthly one (see Humus Chimpanzee (often shortened to chimp) is the common name for the two extant Species of Apes in the Genus Pan.

Gorillas live in tropical or subtropical forests. Although their range covers a small percentage of 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 2225 to 4267 m (7300-14000 ft). Albertine Rift montane forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest Ecoregion of central Africa. A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally Tropical or Subtropical evergreen Montane moist forest characterized by a The Virunga Mountains are a chain of Volcanoes in East Africa, along the northern border of Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC Lowland Gorillas live in dense forests and lowland swamps and marshes as low as sea level. Mean sea level (MSL is the average (mean height of the Sea, with reference to a suitable reference surface

Contents 1 Etymology 2 Classification 3 Physical characteristics 4 Behavior 4.1 Group life 4.2 Food and foraging 4.3 Reproduction and lifespan 5 Intelligence 5.1 Tool use 6 Studies 7 Endangerment 8 Cultural references 9 See also 10 References 11 External links

Etymology

The American physician and missionary Thomas Staughton Savage first described the Western Gorilla (he called it Troglodytes gorilla) in 1847 from specimens obtained in Liberia. Thomas Staughton Savage (1804-1880 was an American Protestant clergyman missionary Physician and naturalist. The Western Gorilla ( Gorilla gorilla) is the most populous species of the genus Gorilla. The Western Gorilla ( Gorilla gorilla) is the most populous species of the genus Gorilla. Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire The name was derived from the Greek word Gorillai (a "tribe of hairy women") described by Hanno the Navigator, a Carthaginian navigator and possible visitor (circa 480 BC) to the area that later became Sierra Leone. Hanno the Navigator was a Carthaginian explorer who flourished c Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. ^[4]

Classification

Until recently there were considered to be three gorilla species: the Western Lowland Gorilla, the Eastern Lowland Gorilla and the Mountain Gorilla. There is now agreement that there are two species with two subspecies each. More recently it has been claimed that a third subspecies exists in one of the species.

Primatologists continue to explore the relationships between various gorilla populations. Primatology is the study of Primates It is a diverse Discipline and primatologists can be found in departments of Biology, Anthropology ^[5] The species and subspecies listed here are the ones upon which most scientists agree. ^[1]

• Genus Gorilla ^[1]
  • 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 trinomen, is the Bwindi population of the Mountain Gorilla, sometimes called the Bwindi Gorilla. The Western Gorilla ( Gorilla gorilla) is the most populous species of the genus Gorilla. The Western Lowland Gorilla ( Gorilla gorilla gorilla) is a subspecies of the Western Gorilla ( Gorilla gorilla) that lives in montane, The Cross River Gorilla ( Gorilla gorilla diehli) is a subspecies of the Western Gorilla ( Gorilla gorilla) that can be found on the border between The Eastern Gorilla ( Gorilla beringei) is a species of the genus Gorilla and the largest living Primate. The Mountain Gorilla ( Gorilla beringei beringei Adult males have more pronounced bony crests on the top and back of their skulls giving their heads a more conical shape The Eastern Lowland Gorilla ( Gorilla beringei graueri) is a subspecies of Eastern Gorilla that is now only found in the forests of eastern Democratic Republic In zoology, a trinomen, or trinominal name refers to the name of a Subspecies. The Bwindi gorilla, a population of the Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei, is found in the Rain forests of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Physical characteristics

Gorillas move around by knuckle-walking. The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, is the second-oldest Zoo in the United States and is located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Gorillas and Chimpanzees use a style of Locomotion called knuckle-walking, where they walk on all fours with the fingers of their forelimbs held Adult males range in height from 165-175 cm (5 ft 5 in – 5 ft 9 in), and in weight from 140–200 kg (310–440 lb). Adult females are often half the size of a silverback, averaging about 140 cm (4 ft 7 in) tall and 100 kg (220 lb). Occasionally, a silverback of over 183 cm (6 ft) and 225 kg (500 lb) has been recorded in the wild. However, obese gorillas in captivity have reached a weight of 270 kg (600 lb). ^[6] Gorillas have a facial structure which is described as mandibular prognathism, that is, their mandible protrudes farther out than the maxilla. Prognathism is a term used to describe the positional relationship of the Mandible and/or Maxilla to the skeletal base where either of the jaws protrudes The mandible (from Latin mandibula, "jawbone" or inferior maxillary bone forms the lower Jaw and holds the lower teeth in place This article is about the Mammal maxilla For Arthropod maxillae see Mouthparts; for Insect maxillae in particular see Insect mouthparts

The Eastern Gorilla is more darkly colored 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 grayish with a reddish forehead. In addition, gorillas that live in lowland forests are more slender and agile than the more bulky Mountain Gorilla. ^[7]

Almost all gorillas share the same blood type (B)^[8] and, like humans, have individual finger prints. A blood type (also called a blood group) is a classification of Blood based on the presence or absence of inherited Antigenic substances on the ^[9]

Behavior

Group life

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 canine teeth that come with maturity. Black backs are sexually mature males of up to 11 years of age.

Silverbacks are the strong, dominant troop leaders. Each typically leads a troop (group size ranges from 5 to 30) and is in 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. Many animals including humans tend to live in groups Herds flocks, bands packs, parties or colonies (hereafter groups of conspecific individuals Younger males called blackbacks may serve as backup protection.

Males will slowly begin to leave their original troop when they are about 11 years old, traveling 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, though never to the extent of carrying the little gorillas.

If challenged by a younger or even by an outsider male, a silverback will scream, beat his chest, break branches, bare his teeth, then charge forward. This article is about the zoo for the TV series see The Bronx Zoo (TV series; for the book "The Bronx Zoo" about the Yankees see Sparky Lyle, its Sometimes a younger male in the group can take over leadership from an old male. If the leader is killed by disease, accident, fighting or poachers, the group will split up, as the animals disperse to look for a new protective male. Very occasionally, a group might be taken over in its entirety by another male. There is a strong risk that the new male may kill the infants of the dead silverback.

Food and foraging

Gorillas are herbivores^[10], eating fruits, leaves, and shoots. Herbivory is a form of Predation in which an Organism, known as a herbivore, consumes principally Autotrophs ref name=Campbell>Campbell Further they are classified as foliovores. In Zoology, a folivore is a Herbivore that specializes in eating Leaves. Much like other animals that feed on plants and shoots, they sometimes ingest small insects also. ^[11] Gorilla spend most of the day eating. Their large sagittal crest and long canines allow them to crush hard plants like bamboo. A sagittal crest is a ridge of bone running lengthwise along the midline of the top of the Skull (at the Sagittal suture) of many Bamboo is a group of Woody perennial Evergreen Plants in the True grass family Poaceae, subfamily Lowland gorillas feed mainly on fruit while Mountain gorillas feed mostly on herbs, stems and roots. ^[7]

Reproduction and lifespan

Gestation is 8½ months. Gestation is the carrying of an Embryo or Fetus inside a Female Viviparous Animal. There are typically 3 to 4 years between births. Infants stay with their mothers for 3–4 years. Females mature at 10–12 years (earlier in captivity); males at 11–13 years. Lifespan is between 30–50 years. The Dallas Zoo's Jenny is still alive at age 55. Dallas Zoo is a Zoo located south of Downtown Dallas in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas, Texas ( USA) ^[12][13] Recently, gorillas have been observed engaging in face-to-face sex, a trait that was once considered unique to humans and the Bonobo. The Bonobo (bə'noʊboʊ Pan paniscus) until recently usually called the Pygmy Chimpanzee (and less often the Dwarf or Gracile Chimpanzee ^[14]

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). Koko (born July 4, 1971, in San Francisco California) is a Lowland gorilla who according to Francine 'Penny' Patterson, is able A sign language (also signed language) is a Language which instead of acoustically conveyed Sound patterns uses visually transmitted sign patterns Animal language is the modeling of human language in non human animal systems

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 broader definition of a tool is an entity used to interface between two or more domains that facilitates more effective action of one domain upon the other 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. The Republic of the Congo (République du Congo Kongo: Repubilika ya Kongo; Lingala: Republiki ya Kongó) also known as Congo-Brazzaville A swamp is a Wetland featuring temporary or permanent inundation of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water 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. ^[15]

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. ^[16] While this was the first such observation for a gorilla, over forty years previously chimpanzees had been seen using tools in the wild, famously 'fishing' for termites. Chimpanzee (often shortened to chimp) is the common name for the two extant Species of Apes in the Genus Pan. It is a common tale among native peoples that gorillas have used rocks and sticks to thwart predators, even rebuking large mammals. Great apes are endowed with a semi-precision grip, and certainly have been able to use both simple tools and even weapons, by improvising a club from a convenient fallen branch. With training, in twentieth century carnival and circus acts, chimpanzees have been taught to operate simple motorbikes.

Studies

The word "gorilla" comes from the history of Hanno the Navigator, a Carthaginian explorer on an expedition on the west African coast. Hanno the Navigator was a Carthaginian explorer who flourished c They encountered "a savage people, the greater part of whom were women, whose body were hairy, and whom our interpreters called Gorillae" ^[17]. The word was then later used as the species name, though it is unknown whether what these ancient Carthaginians encountered were truly gorillas, another species of ape or monkeys, or humans. ^[5]

American physician and missionary Thomas Staughton Savage obtained the first specimens (the skull and other bones) during his time in Liberia in Africa. Thomas Staughton Savage (1804-1880 was an American Protestant clergyman missionary Physician and naturalist. Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire The first scientific writings about describing gorillas date back to the publication of an article in 1847 in Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History, where Troglodytes gorilla is described, now known as the Western Gorilla. The Western Gorilla ( Gorilla gorilla) is the most populous species of the genus Gorilla. Other species of gorilla are described in the next couple of years. ^[5]

Explorer Paul du Chaillu was the first westerner to see a live gorilla during his travel through western equatorial Africa from 1856 to 1859. Paul Belloni du Chaillu ( July 31, 1835 &ndash April 29, 1903) was a French-American traveler and Anthropologist. He brought dead specimens to England in 1861 ^[18][19].

The first systematic study was not conducted until the 1920s, when Carl Akeley of the American Museum of Natural History traveled to Africa to hunt for an animal to be shot and stuffed. He was born in Clarendon New York, and grew up on a farm attending school for only three years The American Museum of Natural History ( AMNH) located on the Upper West Side, Manhattan, New York, USA is one of the largest and most On his first trip he was accompanied by his friends Mary Bradley, a famous mystery writer, and her husband. After their trip, Mary Bradley wrote On the Gorilla Trail. She later became an advocate for the conservation of gorillas and wrote several more books (mainly for children). In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Robert Yerkes and his wife Ava helped further the study of gorillas when they sent Harold Bigham to Africa. Robert Mearns Yerkes ( May 26, 1876 – February 3, 1956) was an American Psychologist, Ethologist, and Yerkes also wrote a book in 1929 about the great apes.

After WWII, George Schaller was one of the first researchers to go into the field and study primates. Dr George Beals Schaller (born 1933 is a Mammalogist, naturalist, Conservationist and author In 1959, he conducted a systematic study of the Mountain Gorilla in the wild and published his work. Years later, at the behest of Louis Leakey and the National Geographic, Dian Fossey conducted a much longer and more comprehensive study of the Mountain Gorilla. Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey ( LSB Leakey) ( August 7, 1903 – October 1 1972) was a Kenyan archaeologist and naturalist Overview The NGS's historical mission is "to increase and diffuse geographic knowledge while promoting the conservation of the world's cultural historical and natural Dian Fossey ( January 16, 1932, San Francisco, California &ndash December 26, 1985, Virunga Mountains, It was not until she published her work that many misconceptions and myths about gorillas were finally disproved, including the myth that gorillas are violent.

Endangerment

Both species of gorilla are endangered, and have been subject to intense poaching for a long time. An endangered species is a population of an organism which is at risk of becoming Extinct because it is either few in numbers or threatened by changing environmental or predation Poaching is the illegal Hunting, Fishing or Harvesting of wild plants or animals Threats to gorilla survival include habitat destruction and the bushmeat trade. Habitat destruction is the process in which natural Habitat is rendered functionally unable to support the species originally present Bushmeat ( Calque from the French viande de brousse) is the term commonly used for Meat of terrestrial wild animals killed for In 2004 a population of several hundred gorillas in the Odzala National Park, Republic of Congo was essentially wiped out by the Ebola virus. Odzala National Park is a National park in the Cuvette-Ouest Region of Republic of the Congo. The Republic of the Congo (République du Congo Kongo: Repubilika ya Kongo; Lingala: Republiki ya Kongó) also known as Congo-Brazzaville Ebola is the common term for a group of Viruses belonging to genus Ebolavirus, family Filoviridae, and for the disease which they ^[20] A 2006 study published in Science concluded that more than 5,000 gorillas may have died in recent outbreaks of the Ebola virus in central Africa. The researchers indicated that in conjunction with commercial hunting of these apes creates "a recipe for rapid ecological extinction". In Biology and Ecology, extinction is the cessation of existence of a Species or group of taxa. ^[21] Conservation efforts include the Great Ape Survival Project, a partnership between the United Nations Environment Programme and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and also an international treaty, the Agreement on the Conservation of Gorillas and Their Habitats, concluded under UNEP-administered Convention on Migratory Species. The Great Apes Survival Project ( GRASP) established in 2001, aims to conserve the Great apes ( Chimpanzees Gorillas and Orangutans The UN Environment Programme (or UNEP) coordinates United Nations environmental activities assisting developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on November 16 The Agreement on the Conservation of Gorillas and Their Habitats is an international Treaty that binds the Parties to conserve Gorillas in their territories The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (also known as CMS or the Bonn Convention, not to be confused with the Bonn Agreement The Gorilla Agreement is the first legally-binding instrument exclusively targeting Gorilla conservation and comes into effect on 1 June 2008. The Agreement on the Conservation of Gorillas and Their Habitats is an international Treaty that binds the Parties to conserve Gorillas in their territories Events 193 - Roman Emperor Didius Julianus is Assassinated 987 - Hugh Capet is elected 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common

Cultural references

Main article: Gorillas in popular culture

Since they came to the attention of western society in the 1860s, gorillas have been a recurring element of many aspects of popular culture and media. For the main article on the animal see Gorilla. With other primates like Orangutans representations of the Gorilla are common in popular For example, gorillas have featured prominently in monstrous fantasy films such as King Kong, and pulp fiction such as the stories of Tarzan and Conan have featured gorillas as physical opponents to the titular protagonists. King Kong is the name of a fictional giant ape from the fictional Skull Island, who has appeared in several works since 1933 Pulp magazines (or pulp fiction; often referred to as "the pulps" were inexpensive Fiction magazines Tarzan is a Fictional character, an archetypal Feral child raised in the African jungle by Apes who later returns to civilization only to

See also

• List of apes – notable individual apes
• List of fictional apes

References

External links

• Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting International Gorilla Conservation Programme (Video)
• Gorilla Haven - information about gorillas
• Gorilla Natural History - behavior, genetics and taxonomy
• Primate Info Net Gorilla Factsheet - taxonomy, ecology, behavior and conservation
• San Diego Zoo Gorilla Factsheet - features a video and photos
• World Wildlife Fund: Gorillas - conservation, facts and photos
• Gorillas at Prague Zoo - hit reality-tv show (24/7) of live gorillas at the Prague Zoo
• Gorilla protection - Gorilla conservation at Virunga National Park

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