The Gorilla 's Life Cycle

Gorillas are the largest group of primates and although they are known as being bipedal, similar to humans and other primates, they often use knuckle walking to move around. On observation, they have seems to have a more robust front appearance than their hind legs and behind. Their cranium is taller than other primates and lower mandible more protruding than their snout. They also have human-like ears that are parallel to their eyes and are small in size. They have

-Bonobo’s display a varied degree of sexual dimorphism, which is a characteristic specific to either male or female sex. When comparing the two sexes, males are more muscular and hold an average weight of 95 pounds compared to an average of 82 pounds and a slighter built female, a 15 percent weight difference between them.  Sexual dimorphism is also apparent in that males possess a unique dental trait, long canines, a feature that females lack.  Both sexes are similar in that neither has a height advantage, averaging 2.3 to 3 feet in height. (Waal 24)  Bonobo’s possess long, fine black hair covering most of the body and black colored hands and feet.  Their black faces feature wide, thick walled nostrils and long black facial hair that often covers their small ears.  Their head hair

Thus, I was able to observe some similarities among these species. The way the female chimp used tools, and her fingers to grab food, how she used to be on her feet, freeing her hands, groom her child, educate her offspring, sleep with him while snuggling, use a lot of face emotions to convey a message to an individual; she smiled at her baby, laughed when playing, and tickling him, remind me of human. She also has a flat pink face, hands’ palm, and feet sole as humans do. Furthermore, the gorilla was also really human when he protected his eyes from the intense sunrays, following the movement of the sun, and sat in the shade, mated with a female, scratched his head, and bottom, and put his finger in his nose. I think that these humans’ pattern appeared for similar reasons as in the Primates. For instance, when the gorilla scratches his bottom, it is because the area is itchy, and he wants to remove what is indisposing him. In addition, the mother chimp educates her kid to transmit knowledge throughout generation, which is the same for humans, who go to school.

I observed a type of Ape known as the Western Lowland Gorilla. The scientific name for a Gorilla is the Gorilla gorilla. Gorillas are the largest of all living primates and at native to west central Africa. Gorillas exhibit sexual dimorphism within their species because males are very obviously much larger than females. The size of the gorillas came across very intimating and gave me an off impression of what this specie was actually going to be like. While observing the gorillas I noticed that these creatures are very slow, lethargic primates. Gorillas move quadrupedally by putting weight down on their arms and knuckles as they walk. They have hands and opposable thumbs, like humans, and are able to grasp things with a better grip. When Gorillas need to reach above themselves such as for leaves or branches they are able to stand on both legs while reaching. While resting Gorillas sit on their bottoms, legs to the side in a similar position that humans do. When resting I noticed that sometimes Gorillas like to take advantage of the moment by self grooming, using their hands. Gorillas usually have an herbivore diet but eat occasional insects. Due to their large body structure it is harder for them move around quickly so they do not need to eat foods that contain as much nutrients and proteins as smaller,

Apes and primates come in all different shapes and sizes. They all exhibit different characteristics and most importantly different behaviors that separate these different primates. The thing that is the most fascinating is really how similar they are to us. The similarities go past structure, similarities can also be seen in their behavior and how they think similar to a rational human being. Gorillas are the biggest primate currently alive on earth and they are also one of the smartest as seen through Koko the gorilla who actually understands english and can effectively use sign language. Gorillas are truly fascinating creatures that exhibit behaviors

The anatomical characteristics that make this species a primate is its anatomical traits. The bonobo monkey has many traits to help specify them as a primate. The one of many characteristics of the monkey is the stock of its body. The Bonobos are quadrupeds and walk on all four limbs, although there is a variation of how they use their limbs, this helps define them and categorize them as a primate. Their grasping hands with opposable thumbs or big toes help scientist and other who research this species categorize them as primates. One very noticeable characteristic of the Bonobo is their face. Their eyes are on the front of their skull. They have forward-facing eyes with stereoscopic vision which place them in the category of primates. Another characteristic that came up while reading was the enclosed

I have finally came to a very difficult decision of choosing the new mascot for our school. I have chose the Lowland Gorillas. In the two following paragraphs I will explain my decision of choosing the Gorillas and also why I think they are the best option. We would need a mascot that is tough and dangerous and will crush the enemy. I feel like the gorilla is our best option for that.

The theory was that gorillas were just one species, but gradually changed as they spread and adapted to different habitats. Gorillas are non-territorial and live in groups called “troops” or “bands” that usually consist of one to four adult males, a few females, and their young. When the young matures, they go off and join or form another troop. The oldest and strongest adult males are called silverbacks, which are dominant in the troop. They were given this name because of the known silver-colored hair on their backs. This silver-colored hair is developed through maturity of the gorilla, you can usually begin to see this when the male is over 12 years of age. Silverbacks are more aggressive than any other group member, since the troops’ safety is their responsibility. Even when resources are limited the male receives the dominant portion of the food. The Silverback makes all the groups

The low land gorillas have unique and specific physical traits. They seem to be less than five feet in height. The female gorillas have faint silver back compared to the male gorillas that have a more distinguishing silver back. Both male and female gorillas have black hair all around their body, except the head which is brown, and their backs. Their hands, legs and arms seem to be large and out of proportion compared to their body. Their toes are as long as their fingers. The female gorillas have saggy long breasts. The saggy breasts can help them maneuver around their environment or help feed their young. One specific gorilla squeezed small drops of milk from her breasts onto her fingers and tasted it. She did it naturally and carefully almost as if she was checking to see if the milk was safe to drink for her baby or maybe, she got bored. They use their hands and feet to grip onto vines and trees and pull themselves up. The gorilla’s strong knuckles help support their upper body, which holds most of their weight. The males are heavier and have a distinctive head shape called a sagittal crest, but one of the females had a slight crest as well.

The authors compared Kamilah's genome with sequence data from two other western lowland gorillas and an eastern lowland gorilla (Gorilla beringeigraueri), and found substantial genetic differentiation within the genus, consistent with previous data (9). The genus is currently classified into four subspecies, two for each of the two species, but the variation identified by Scally et al. suggests further analysis of genetic diversity in gorillas is warranted.

Gorillas diet in both captivity and the wild consist of tree barks, vegetables and fruits. The life span of a gorilla living in captivity is usually in average 40 years or more, unlike gorillas in the wild that live less than 35 years and this could be due to the encounter of predator, habitat destruction or human hunting. In the wild, a male gorilla has a troop of 6 to 10 individuals, which consist of the silverback male, 2 or 3 adult females and their offspring. According to Diane Mohr one of the zookeepers at Lincoln Park Zoo, the environment provided at the zoo has been carefully planned to try giving the gorillas the feel of living in the wild to minimize stress, boredom or changes in their behavior. (pers. Comm)

They have very long arms, which are even longer than their legs (Enchanted Learning, 1999). Gibbons have a very skinny body and do not have a tail (Enchanted Learning, 1999, National Geographic, 2014). Their body is covered with hair that is anywhere from light-colored to a very dark brown (Enchanted Learning, 1999). Their face, however, is hairless, and they have dark eyes and very small nostrils (Enchanted Learning, 1999). Gibbons have four fingers plus a small opposable thumb on each hand (Enchanted Learning, 1999). They have four toes and an opposable big thumb on each foot as well (Enchanted Learning, 1999). Male gibbons are usually about three feet and fifteen pounds which is a little bigger than female gibbons (Enchanted Learning,

Western Lowland Gorillas are much like humans and like to interact with each other. This is something that was consistent in the zoo. There were no obvious signs of stress or stereotypic behaviors, which are commonly negative behaviors experienced in captivity. The zoo however could modify the exhibit to make the gorillas better for the gorillas. This can be accomplished by adding privacy screens, playing naturalistic,

What to expect when challenging the silverback: Standing Upright Throwing things Agressively charging Roaring or barking powerful hoots while banging on chest Mountain Gorillas are normally calm and non agressive unless distubed. Physical Appearance Have longer hair Have shorter arms Tend to be a bit larger than normal gorillas Average height is 1.25-1.75 meters Max height is 2 meters Average weight is 135- 220 kiligrams Max weight is 272.155 kilograms Social Behaviors Ususally found in groups of 30 individuals Groups are called troops Led by a domiant, called a silverback Found in Congo SilverBack (THE LEADER) Called Silverback because of a swath of silver fur on thier back Organizes things like Eating Nesting Moving about the 2- 40 square

Beginning with the most intelligent of the bunch, the (western lowland) gorillas I observed were quite inactive. This is certainly so because they are known to only be hunted by man leaving no competition outside of their own species. This fact makes it apparent why these kings of the jungle sit around so often. In the wild and even in zoos it may be difficult for a male to find mates because groups of gorillas are POLYGYNOUS. So usually one male is the father of all of the offspring. Being this way, male gorillas must display DOMINANCE over others and even stand their ground against an incoming male that may threaten the family. Going back to how they sit all day, gorillas are able to do this because they don’t even have to move to replenish energy for the reason that they are grass and leaf eaters (vegetarians). Not having to move very much makes gorillas capable of having a low-quality diet.