Gorillas take the crown as the largest primate, their muscular bodies standing up to a mighty six feet tall. But beneath their burly exterior, you might be surprised to find a gentle jungle giant. Just like humans, they can laugh, feel sadness and have complex social systems. Despite their shy nature, dense forest habitat and tendency to travel long distances making them difficult to study, there’s no denying their magnificence. Want to learn more about these incredible creatures? Read on to discover five fascinating gorilla facts.
Super strength
Try as they might, not even contestants at ‘The World’s Strongest Man’ can compete with the strength of gorillas. Weighing in at an average of 450lb, the silverback gorilla (an adult male) is about as strong as 20 adult humans combined – the ultimate tug-of-war champions. But it seems not everyone is convinced. Mike Tyson, a former heavyweight world champion, admitted to offering a zookeeper $10,000 to fight a silverback. His offer was, unsurprisingly, declined.
Gentle giants
Despite their strength – and character defamation in King Kong – gorillas are considered the gentle giants of the jungle. As seen in Tarzan (from behind teary eyes), these great apes are affectionate towards each other, gentle with their young and far calmer than their chimpanzee counterparts. However, attacks towards humans may still occur if they are provoked, threatened or surprised. Their chilled-out nature was experienced first-hand by Dr Dian Fossey, a woman who lived with the mountain gorillas of Rwanda – as their friend and protector – for more than 20 years.
Social structures
Gorillas don’t just share 98% of their DNA with humans; they also mirror aspects of our social structures. These impressive primates are known to live in family groups (called troops) ranging in size from five to 50, with a dominant silverback male and several females and their offspring. Like humans, they interact with a ‘dispersed extended family’ of aunts, grandparents and cousins, and even mirror early human tribes by interacting with groups of gorillas they aren’t related to. Our safari specialist, James, comments that the biological and social connection humans share with gorillas is something you can 'really feel when watching the youngsters interact with their family groups'.
Impressive intelligence
You won’t catch a gorilla on Mastermind anytime soon, but don’t overlook their intelligence. They’re known to use some nifty tricks that prove they’ve got brains behind the brawl: dipping sticks in water to gauge the depth of a river crossing; using bamboo as ladders to help infants climb; and eating ants with a stick to avoid being stung. Communication has also been mastered, with over 25 vocalisations used to signify alarm, distress, aggression, contentment and group coordination. If that’s not enough to convince you of their brains, consider Koko, a gorilla who learned over 1,000 gestures in sign language. She also seemed to have a sense of humour and human-like emotions, and her language comprehension skills were similar to those of a young child.
Food fanatics
Last up is a diet-based gorilla fact, and these muscly mammals are here to prove you don’t need meat to be buff. Around 85% of their diet is plant-based, consisting of bamboo shoots, fruit, stems, bark and leaves. However, they can be selective foragers, only eating certain plant parts and using their agile lips and fingers to pick out the tasty parts. Some gorillas also have a taste for critters and will break open termite nests to eat the protein-packed larvae. Delicious.
Written by Evie Buller.
