Gorilla Tag File Download ((TOP))
Icaro Hogue
The Gorilla Foundation is best known for conducting the longest interspecies communication study in history (almost 5 decades) and the only one involving gorillas: Project Koko. Our mission, Conservation through Communication applies the results and lessons of interspecies communication (with gorillas Koko, Michael and Ndume) to save gorillas from extinction in the wild, dramatically improve their care in captivity, and continue our exciting dialogue with Nature. Everyone can learn to sign, and all gorillas are Kokos, and these 2 realizations make saving the great apes both a worthwhile and highly reachable goal. Please join us and expedite the process!
Our western lowland gorillas share their expansive outdoor habitat with a small family of red river hogs. The gorilla habitat is large, and the gorillas have an indoor habitat as well, so you may not see them on camera all the time.
(A) Distribution of gorilla subspecies (2). (B) Gorilla taxonomy. (C) PCA plot of SNP data for all four gorilla subspecies. (D) PCA plot of SNP data from mountain and eastern lowland gorilla samples only. (E) mtDNA and Y-chromosomal phylogenies. Node heights are in units of substitutions per base pair; each tree is drawn to a separate scale.
(A) LD decay (15) in gorilla and human populations. Human samples are Utah residents with European ancestry (CEU) or Yoruba in Ibadan, Nigeria (YRI). (B) Mean per-sample genome fractions found in homozygous tracts. Open bars show total fractions for mountain (Gbb), eastern lowland (Gbg), Cross River (Ggd), and western lowland (Ggg) gorillas; solid bars show fractions in tracts of length 2.5 to 10 Mb (gorillas) or 2.5 to 10 cM in an Altai Neandertal and two human individuals [Karitiana (Kar) and Papuan (Pap)] (19). Error bars are 1 SD.
The International Gorilla Conservation Programme is a unique coalition of international conservation organizations joining forces with national and local partners to ensure the long-term survival of the now endangered mountain gorillas.
The International Gorilla Conservation Programme is a unique coalition of international conservation organisations joining forces with national and local partners to ensure the long-term survival of the now endangered mountain gorillas.
The gorilla's coat color is black. Short, thin, gray-black to brown-black hair covers the entire body except the face. Western lowland gorillas may have a more brownish coloration. A small white tuft of hair on their rump distinguishes infants up to four years old. The white patch helps the mother keep track of the infant and assists other group members in identifying the gorilla as an infant.
Mature silverback males have a saddle of white hair across the small of their backs. In western lowland gorillas, the silver may extend to rump and thighs. Western lowland females may go gray below the ears and on the neck and top of the head as they age. Compared to other subspecies, western lowland gorillas have a more pronounced brow ridge and ears that appear small in relation to their heads. They also have a differently shaped nose and lip than other subspecies.
Adult male gorillas' heads look conical due to the large bony crests on the top and back of the skull. These crests anchor the massive muscles used to support and operate their large jaws and teeth. Adult female gorillas also have these crests, but they are much less pronounced.
In comparison to the mountain gorilla, the western lowland gorilla has a wider and larger skull, and their big toe is spread apart more from the alignment of the other four toes. Gorillas' arms are longer than their legs; when they move on all fours, they knuckle-walk, supporting their weight on the third and fourth digits of their curled hands. Like other primates, each individual has distinctive fingerprints. Gorillas also have unique nose prints.
Gorillas are the largest of the great apes, but the western lowland gorilla is the smallest of the subspecies. Males are much larger than females. Adult males weigh an average of 300 pounds (136.1 kilograms) and up to 500 pounds (226.8 kilograms). They stand up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall.
Western lowland gorillas are broadly distributed across the Congo Basin, and are more or less continuously distributed across the countries of Gabon, Central Africa Republic, Cameroon, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, and Congo.
Though present historically in the Democratic Republic of Congo, they are now likely extinct there. Western lowland gorilla ranges have been measured from 9 to 14 square miles (14.5 to 22.5 square kilometers), rarely overlapping other troops.
The average distance traveled in a day is usually less than 1 mile (1.6 kilometers), with longer distances traveled when more fruit is abundant. Because of their large size, gorillas spend most of their time on the ground.
Gorillas communicate using auditory signals, visual signals and odors. They are generally quiet animals but they may also scream, bark and roar. Scientists have heard up to 22 different gorilla vocalizations, each seeming to have its own meaning.
Some examples of gorilla "body language" include crouching low and approaching from the side when being submissive; walking directly when confident and standing, slapping their chests and advancing when aggressive.
Gorillas are primarily herbivorous, eating the leaves and stems of herbs, shrubs and vines. They also eat the fleshy fruits of close to a hundred seasonally fruiting tree species. Other gorilla subspecies eat proportionally less fruit. Gorillas get some protein from invertebrates found on leaves and fruits. Adult male gorillas eat about 45 pounds (32 kilograms) of food per day. Females eat about two-thirds of that amount.
Forage items placed in hay for the gorillas include popcorn, sunflower seeds, peanuts, "enrich bits," beans and diced fruits and vegetables. Fresh tree trimmings are given daily. Some of the gorillas favorite browse; options are Bradford pear, willow, mulberry with berries and maple.
There are three feeding behaviors sometimes observed in gorillas in human care that can bother visitors. These behaviors are natural, though not to humans. They are regurgitation and reingestion, coprophagy (eating feces) and urine drinking. Regurgitation and reingestion involves an animal regurgitating some of its food and re-eating it. Biologists do not entirely understand why gorillas exhibit this behavior in human care.
Gorillas live in groups, or troops, from two to over 30 members. But data seems to indicate that western lowland gorillas live in smaller groups, averaging about five individuals. Groups are generally composed of a silverback male, one or more black back males, several adult females and their infant and juvenile offspring. This group composition varies greatly due to births, deaths and the immigration and emigration of individuals.
All gorillas over three years of age make both day nests for resting and night nests for sleeping. Infants share their mothers' nests. Gorillas form nests by sitting in one place and pulling down and tucking branches, leaves or other vegetation around themselves. Adult males usually nest on the ground. Females may nest on the ground or in trees. Juveniles are more apt to nest in trees. Studies of western lowland gorillas have shown that the number of nests found at a site does not necessarily coincide with the number of weaned animals observed in a group.
The western lowland gorilla is a quiet, peaceful and non-aggressive animal. It never attacks unless provoked. However, males do fight over females, and the new leader of a group may kill unrelated infants. This causes the females to begin cycling sooner. An adult male protecting his group may attempt to intimidate his aggressor by standing on his legs and slapping its chest with cupped or flat hands while roaring and screaming.
Gorillas exhibit complex and dynamic relationships. They interact using grooming behaviors, although less than most other primates. Affiliation may also be shown through physical proximity. Young gorillas play often and are more arboreal than the large adults. Adults, even the silverback, tolerate infant play behavior. He also tolerates and often participates in the play of older juveniles and black back males. Because of gorilla variability, some or all of these behaviors may or may not be seen.
Western gorillas are a critically endangered species. They have been plagued by exceptionally high levels of disease and hunting, which has resulted in a population decline of over sixty percent in the past 20 to 25 years.
In 2007, IUCN's status for western gorillas was changed from endangered to critically endangered. This change occurred when it was discovered that one of two subspecies, the western lowland gorilla, had been devastated by the commercial bushmeat trade, the Ebola virus and the spread of logging, which alters forest structure and facilitates poaching.
Their population has declined by more than 60 percent over the last 20 to 25 years, with about one-third of the total population found in protected areas affected by the Ebola virus in the last 15 years. Cross River gorillas are also subject to hunting and habitat loss due to forest conversion, and their current population is small and fragmented.
Surprise #1: The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium's gorilla family recently welcomed a baby...a birth that was unexpected, yet exciting for the care team and important for the conservation of a critically endangered species.
In December 1956, the Columbus Zoo was the first zoo in the world to welcome the birth of a baby gorilla. For the next 67 years, we have continued to make vital contributions to gorilla conservation. By sharing some additional details about this recent heartwarming news, we hope to inspire you to join us in our mission to protect the future of this amazing species.
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