the gorilla was discovered only by 1860 for the science, as missionaries from Gabon sent skulls and skins to England. Prior reports of seafarers probably referred also to this big ape, however they were no basis for a scientific diagnosis of course. The first living gorillas lost only 1890 to Europe. Under use of approximately 1000 natives, one could have seized three living animals and had brought two to Hagenbecks zoo to Hamburg from it. There however they endured only 2-3 weeks and probably died of wrong nutrition and defective care.
Subtypes Today, the gorilla performs in two forms, that let itself mark behavioral-ecologically as subtypes above all: The lowland-gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla) lives in the wide forest-areas of the occidental means-Africa, where it to find not at all everywhere, however, but rather island-nicely widespread is. The mountain-gorilla (gorilla gorilla beringei) finds up to 3500 m between Edward and Tanganjikasee in the high mountain region-areas for himself on the other hand. it was described only 1902 as own subtype and differs above all in the construction of its foot from the farther spread lowland-gorilla. This foot is no griffin - but a Gehfuß, that can do the confrontation of the big-toe as "thumbs" no more. Some researchers count also 3 subtypes and distinguish a western and an eastern lowland-gorilla.
Shape This biggest of all primates is up to 175 cm, with what the knees still bent in monkey-type, on the hind legs standing big. its huge breast-scope amounts to up to 175 cm, and its weight can reach over 300 kg. The dense hair-dress is usually black, becomes, however, silvery-gray with old men on the back and can have equipped with brownish head-plates with some family-members. The females are smaller and easier than the men with approximately 150 kg also with this ape.
Huge musclemen let the shoulder-belt and the stocky neck especially powerfully appear, and with spans of 275 cm, the gorilla offers an imposing sight indeed. This is still reinforced by a seemingly lurking expression, that from the eyes small under strong Wülsten hervorlugenden and that gigantic fat and Bindegewebsbuckel come from on the head of older men. Really educated and carefully groomed gorillas prove to be immensely mild, affable and lovable creatures on that occasion.
Way of life Gorillas touch big territory, that it often divide with other troops, 25-40 km2 in hordes on average of 15-17 individuals through you without serious fights occurring on that occasion. The leaders - usually older men - look only threatening at itself at such group-meetings, and each troop pursues the food-search quietly further. The food consists apparently only of vegetable materials. Only in captivity, meat is assumed. The every evening again built sleep-nests are differently high according to rank positioned: The leadership-man builds its nest close to the ground in a low branch-fork or even at the basis of the log on the ground. So, it can protect the group against the most important enemy, the leopard.
Reproduction Contrary to former suppositions, the sexuality doesn't play any big role with the gorillas as social stabilization-system, and hardly ever, fights for females were observed in the homestead although several researchers could be as group-members of mountain-gorilla-families for months. The leadership-man quite tolerates that another man unites sexually in its proximity with one of the females of its group.
The combination-position is quite variable. The union can be the Aufreiten usual with mammals usually from the back, can take place from also the stomach-side, however, in that the man takes the woman on its lap so to speak, and the penis introduces.
The pregnancy lasts approximately 9 months and often proceeds unseen in zoological gardens because of the remarkable measurements of the alto-animals of the keeper. The birth takes place in lying and goes on in few minutes. As cuts with the remaining apes the mother cleans the umbilical cord, inspects the young, it and presses it at itself. Differently than the gorilla-child is not capable with most remaining primates to hold on to the mother alone. In the birth, gorilla-children weigh approximately 2 kg, takes more quickly than Z. B. Orangutans at weight to and is heavy already about 16 kg with one year. With 20 weeks, they can crawl on all four, and with 26 weeks, they begin to run alone. With 12 years, gorillas become sexually mature and steal its wife after it from a neighbor-troop soon and establish an independent family-association.
Since the zoo-attitude of the gorillas is had command of well since approximately 1960, already several births were observed under scientifically perfect conditions since then. Astonishing is, that first-bearing zoo-gorilla-mothers know not to start anything with the newborn but treat it foreign or even hostile to like the shock as something. One can lock from this into the club with homestead-observations that the maternal behavior must be learned for the most part. This can happen among other things also through "copying" found out mothers.
Also the combination-behavior must probably be learned by copying older colleagues. So, two combination-ready gorillas knew not to start anything with itself in the zoo in Sacramento (California). Also a sex-film-presentation didn't bring any improvement since the gorillas found the technical side of the projection and the flickering light more interestingly than the film-content!
The until now registered homestead-situation looks different than the favorable zoo-experience: Gorilla-women get at most every three years a child, and the baby and adolescent-mortality through parasites and illnesses amounts approximately 50 percent. How the male descendants more frequently and rather than the girls should die with the human being so that the sex-distribution would let itself from this view explain in the groups: on a male, two females usually come.
Behavioral-studies Through homestead-studies, we know today much about the meaning of the gorilla-gesture. Sharp looking at means Z. B. Superiority, and the subordinate one looks from the eye-corner shortly at most and rather then retreats. Smacks in the face and strong hits on the head are last need-measures if quiet gestures didn't suceed. To raise to the proud height - with at short notice squeezed through knees over 2 m! - and drums of the hands on the huge chest as well as Haaraufstellen and elbow-after-pre-lateral-stopping are further intimidation-gestures. Finally, the threatening one leads as well as. Attacking a swift, linear run to the opponent from, few meters normally stop before it, however, or walk by at it. If it then runs away this misunderstanding individual, so the gorilla follows it, bites it with its huge cuspids in legs and buttocks and can hurt it seriously of course. Never however, a gorilla has included a human being in the homestead in "film-just manner" with its arms and crushed!
Through long-term homestead-studies as member of a gorilla-family, one won exact insights into its habits. It was astonishing that gorillas never were observed when drinking in the homestead. Apparently, they meet its water-demand from the plant-food. Water-runs of approximately 1/2 m of depth cross it, they avoid deeper and wide, because they cannot swim by nature. They share this surprising quality with the human being and the Orang and chimpanzees, that also don't have any sufficient innate swimming-movements at his disposal. In some zoos, also already gorillas then drowned in the locking up ditch.
The every evening again built sleep-nests are together-bent at the ground from shrubbery so that an easily springy base shows, that is from-dressed with foliage. Gorillas usually spend the midday silence-period against it in approximately 3 m of height on tree-branches.
It also is astonishing that gorillas hardly show the use of tools, d, in the wild. h. what belongs to the rule with chimpanzees handles torn down sticks approximately.
Relationship After detailed examinations of the protein-compositions of the blood-serum, we know today that the gorilla is our second-next relative after the chimpanzee.
Endangering The mountain-gorilla is one this at the most strongly threatened animal. its continuance is only estimated at 200-300 animals. But also about the lowland-gorilla, it doesn't stand very much better. If it was above all Bejagung and trade with the sought-after jungle-reams earlier, so it is the increasing destruction of its habitat today, that the animals bring at the edge of the extinction. The trade with them is prohibited already for a long time, and the animals are subject to the protection of the Washingtoner Artenschutzübereinkommens meanwhile, however possibly this "insight" already gets late.
Scientific name: