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82-410: Gorilla gorilla Gorilla beringei Gorillas are herbivorous , predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa . The genus Gorilla is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla , and either four or five subspecies . The DNA of gorillas is highly similar to that of humans , from 95 to 99% depending on what

164-401: A "train grunt". Recently, gorillas have been observed engaging in face-to-face sex , a trait once considered unique to humans and bonobos . Gorilla infants are vulnerable and dependent, thus mothers, their primary caregivers, are important to their survival. Male gorillas are not active in caring for the young, but they do play a role in socialising them to other youngsters. The silverback has

246-507: A brief period each time. By 12 months old, infants move up to five m (16 ft) from their mothers. At around 18–21 months, the distance between mother and offspring increases and they regularly spend time away from each other. In addition, nursing decreases to once every two hours. Infants spend only half of their time with their mothers by 30 months. They enter their juvenile period at their third year, and this lasts until their sixth year. At this time, gorillas are weaned and they sleep in

328-557: A chest of 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in), and a weight of 219 kg (483 lb), shot in Alimbongo , northern Kivu in May 1938. The heaviest gorilla recorded was a 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) silverback shot in Ambam , Cameroon , which weighed 267 kg (589 lb). Males in captivity can be overweight and reach weights up to 310 kg (683 lb). The eastern gorilla

410-519: A chimera can be any hybrid creature. In figurative use, derived from the mythological meaning, "chimera" refers to an unrealistic, or unrealisable, wild, foolish or vain dream, notion or objective. According to Hesiod , the Chimera's mother was a certain ambiguous "she", which may refer to Echidna, in which case the father would presumably be Typhon , though possibly (unlikely) the Hydra or even Ceto

492-460: A common ancestor about 7 million years ago. Human gene sequences differ only 1.6% on average from the sequences of corresponding gorilla genes, but there is further difference in how many copies each gene has. gibbons  (family Hylobatidae) orangutans  (genus Pongo ) gorillas (genus Gorilla ) humans  (genus  Homo ) chimpanzees (genus  Pan ) Until recently, gorillas were considered to be

574-431: A decline of 45% for a period of just 20 years spanning 1992 to 2011. Poaching , commercial logging and civil wars in the countries that compose the western gorillas' habitat are also threats. Furthermore, reproductive rates are very low, with a maximum intrinsic rate of increase of about 3% and the high levels of decline from hunting and disease-induced mortality have caused declines in population of more than 60% over

656-604: A few species in each habitat, mountain gorillas have flexible diets and can live in a variety of habitats. Eastern lowland gorillas have more diverse diets, which vary seasonally. Leaves and pith are commonly eaten, but fruits can make up as much as 25% of their diets. Since fruit is less available, lowland gorillas must travel farther each day, and their home ranges vary from 2.7 to 6.5 km (1.0 to 2.5 sq mi), with day ranges 154–2,280 m (0.096–1.417 mi). Eastern lowland gorillas will also eat insects, preferably ants. Western lowland gorillas depend on fruits more than

738-435: A food culture. Fruit comprises most of the western lowland gorillas' diets when it is abundant, directly influencing their foraging and ranging patterns. There is a correlation between the amount of time a western gorilla travels and the season in which fruits are available. Western gorillas spend more time traveling and feeding during the seasons when fruits are abundant compared to when there is less fruits available. Fruits of

820-434: A height up to 176 cm (5 ft 9.3 in), with males having an average weight of 168 kilograms (370 lb) and females weighing 58 to 72 kilograms (128 to 159 lb). Captive western gorillas average 157 kg (346 lb) in males and 80 kg (176 lb) in females. Another source describes the weight of wild male western lowland gorillas as 146 kg (322 lb). The Cross River gorilla differs from

902-521: A known part of the natural diets for many wild populations. A study published in 2007 announced the discovery of this species fighting back against possible threats from humans . They "found several instances of gorillas throwing sticks and clumps of grass". This is unusual, because western gorillas usually flee and rarely charge when they encounter humans. One mirror test in Gabon shows that western gorilla silverbacks react aggressively when faced with

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984-407: A largely supportive relationship with the infants in his troop and shields them from aggression within the group. Infants remain in contact with their mothers for the first five months and mothers stay near the silverback for protection. Infants suckle at least once per hour and sleep with their mothers in the same nest. Infants begin to break contact with their mothers after five months, but only for

1066-415: A male while making eye contact. This serves to urge the male to mount her. If the male does not respond, then she will try to attract his attention by reaching towards him or slapping the ground. In multiple-male groups, solicitation indicates female preference, but females can be forced to mate with multiple males. Males incite copulation by approaching a female and displaying at her or touching her and giving

1148-475: A mirror, although refusing to look fully at their reflection. The World Conservation Union lists the western gorilla as critically endangered , the most severe denomination next to global extinction, on its 2007 Red List of Threatened Species . The Ebola virus might be depleting western gorilla populations to a point where their recovery might become impossible, and the virus reduced populations in protected areas by 33% from 1992 to 2007, which may be equal to

1230-423: A more complete account of the story. Iobates , the king of Lycia , had ordered Bellerophon to kill the Chimera (who had been killing cattle and had "devastated the country") since he thought that the Chimera would instead kill Bellerophon, "for it was more than a match for many, let alone one". But the hero mounted his winged horse Pegasus (who had sprung from the blood of Medusa ) "and soaring on high shot down

1312-403: A new nest to sleep on each day; even if remaining in the same place, they do not use the previous one. Usually, they are made an hour before dusk, to be ready to sleep when night falls. Gorillas sleep longer than humans, an average of 12 hours per day. One possible predator of gorillas is the leopard . Gorilla remains have been found in leopard scat, but this may be the result of scavenging. When

1394-402: A result, fights do not occur very frequently. The ritualized charge display is unique to gorillas. The entire sequence has nine steps: (1) progressively quickening hooting, (2) symbolic feeding, (3) rising bipedally, (4) throwing vegetation, (5) chest-beating with cupped hands, (6) one leg kick, (7) sideways running, two-legged to four-legged, (8) slapping and tearing vegetation, and (9) thumping

1476-475: A separate nest from their mothers. After their offspring are weaned, females begin to ovulate and soon become pregnant again. The presence of play partners, including the silverback, minimizes conflicts in weaning between mother and offspring. Twenty-five distinct vocalisations are recognised, many of which are used primarily for group communication within dense vegetation. Sounds classified as grunts and barks are heard most frequently while traveling, and indicate

1558-543: A single species, with three subspecies: the western lowland gorilla, the eastern lowland gorilla and the mountain gorilla. There is now agreement that there are two species, each with two subspecies. More recently, a third subspecies has been claimed to exist in one of the species. The separate species and subspecies developed from a single type of gorilla during the Ice Age , when their forest habitats shrank and became isolated from each other. Primatologists continue to explore

1640-594: A troop tend to be friendly towards each other and associate closely. Otherwise, females have few friendly encounters and commonly act aggressively towards each other. Females may fight for social access to males and a male may intervene. Male gorillas have weak social bonds, particularly in multiple-male groups with apparent dominance hierarchies and strong competition for mates. Males in all-male groups, though, tend to have friendly interactions and socialise through play, grooming, and staying together, and occasionally they even engage in homosexual interactions. Severe aggression

1722-470: Is a great ape found in Africa, one of two species of the hominid genus Gorilla . Large and robust with males weighing around 168 kilograms (370 lb), the species is found in a region of midwest Africa, geographically isolated from the eastern gorilla ( Gorilla beringei ). The hair of the western species is significantly lighter in color. The western gorilla is the second largest living primate after

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1804-408: Is comprised of almost half water as well as morning dew", although both mountain and lowland gorillas have been observed drinking. Gorillas construct nests for daytime and night use. Nests tend to be simple aggregations of branches and leaves about 2 to 5 ft (0.61 to 1.52 m) in diameter and are constructed by individuals. Gorillas, unlike chimpanzees or orangutans, tend to sleep in nests on

1886-525: Is divided between rest periods and travel or feeding periods. Diets differ between and within species. Mountain gorillas mostly eat foliage, such as leaves, stems, pith, and shoots, while fruit makes up a very small part of their diets. Mountain gorilla food is widely distributed and neither individuals nor groups have to compete with one another. Their home ranges vary from 3 to 15 km (1.2 to 5.8 sq mi), and their movements range around 500 m (0.31 mi) or less on an average day. Despite eating

1968-427: Is in all proportion like a man, but... he is more like a Giant in stature, than a man: for he is very tall, [and] hath a man's face, hollow-eyed, with long haire vpon his browes. His face and eares are without haire, and his hands also. His bodie is full of haire, but not very thicke, and it is a dunnish colour. . . Hee goeth alwaies vpon his legs, and carrieth his hands clasped on the nape of his necke, when he goeth upon

2050-511: Is included, and they are the next closest living relatives to humans after chimpanzees . Gorillas are the largest living primates , reaching heights between 1.25 and 1.8 metres, weights between 100 and 270kg, and arm spans up to 2.6 metres, depending on species and sex. They tend to live in troops, with the leader being called a silverback. The eastern gorilla is distinguished from the western by darker fur colour and some other minor morphological differences. Gorillas tend to live 35–40 years in

2132-413: Is likely to be a tactic against this. However, while gorilla troops usually disband after the silverback dies, female eastern lowlands gorillas and their offspring have been recorded staying together until a new silverback transfers into the group. This likely serves as protection from leopards. The silverback is the centre of the troop's attention, making all the decisions, mediating conflicts, determining

2214-409: Is more darkly coloured 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 greyish with a reddish forehead. In addition, gorillas that live in lowland forest are more slender and agile than the more bulky mountain gorillas. The eastern gorilla also has a longer face and broader chest than

2296-774: Is rare in stable groups, but when two mountain gorilla groups meet the two silverbacks can sometimes engage in a fight to the death, using their canines to cause deep, gaping injuries. Females mature at 10–12 years (earlier in captivity), and males at 11–13 years. A female's first ovulatory cycle occurs when she is six years of age, and is followed by a two-year period of adolescent infertility. The estrous cycle lasts 30–33 days, with outward ovulation signs subtle compared to those of chimpanzees. The gestation period lasts 8.5 months. Female mountain gorillas first give birth at 10 years of age and have four-year interbirth intervals. Males can be fertile before reaching adulthood. Gorillas mate year round. Females will purse their lips and slowly approach

2378-522: Is the oldest gorilla ever; oldest female gorilla ever; oldest living gorilla and oldest living female gorilla. The oldest male gorilla ever was Ozoum , who reached to the final age of 61 years, 24 days. The oldest living male gorilla is Guhonda, aged 53 years, 332 days. Gorillas have a patchy distribution. The range of the two species is separated by the Congo River and its tributaries . The western gorilla lives in west central Africa, while

2460-644: Is typically more than 12 years of age, and is named for the distinctive patch of silver hair on his back, which comes with maturity. Silverbacks have large canine teeth that also come with maturity. Both males and females tend to emigrate from their natal groups. For mountain gorillas, females disperse from their natal troops more than males. Mountain gorillas and western lowland gorillas also commonly transfer to second new groups. Mature males also tend to leave their groups and establish their own troops by attracting emigrating females. However, male mountain gorillas sometimes stay in their natal troops and become subordinate to

2542-461: Is unknown whether what the explorers encountered were what we now call gorillas, another species of ape or monkeys, or humans. Skins of gorillai women, brought back by Hanno, are reputed to have been kept at Carthage until Rome destroyed the city 350 years later at the end of the Punic Wars , 146 BC. In 1625 Andrew Battel mentioned the existence of the animal, under the name pongo. This Pongo

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2624-475: The Cumaean Sibyl enountered the Chimera in a vision, interpreting it as an omen. She advised her followers to establish harmony in their community to prevent the chaos and destruction that might have been brought about by the Chimera. According to Homer, the Chimera, who was reared by Araisodarus (the father of Atymnius and Maris, Trojan warriors killed by Nestor 's sons Antilochus and Trasymedes),

2706-645: The Democratic Republic of the Congo near its border with Rwanda . There are thought to be around 316,000 western gorillas in the wild, and 5,000 eastern gorillas. Both species are classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN; all subspecies are classified as Critically Endangered with the exception of the mountain gorilla, which is classified as y . There are many threats to their survival, such as poaching, habitat destruction, and disease, which threaten

2788-475: The Republic of the Congo . This discovery could more than double the known population of the animals, though the effect that the discovery will have on the gorillas' conservation status is currently unknown. With the new discovery, the current population of western lowland gorillas could be around 150,000–200,000. However, the gorilla remains vulnerable to Ebola , deforestation , and poaching . Estimates on

2870-480: The western gorilla in 1847 from specimens obtained in Liberia . They called it Troglodytes gorilla , using the then-current name of the chimpanzee genus. The species name was derived from Ancient Greek Γόριλλαι (gorillai)  'tribe of hairy women', as described by Hanno. The closest relatives of gorillas are the other two Homininae genera, chimpanzees and humans, all of them having diverged from

2952-500: The western lowland gorilla subspecies , whose population is approximately 276,000 individuals. Only 250 to 300 of the only other western gorilla subspecies, the Cross River gorilla , are thought to remain. Western gorillas are generally lighter colored than eastern gorillas . Western gorillas have black, dark grey or dark brown-grey hair with a brownish forehead. Males average 167 cm (5 ft 5.7 in) although reaching

3034-572: The 1980s, a census taken of the gorilla populations in equatorial Africa was thought to be 100,000. Researchers adjusted the figure in 2008 after years of poaching and deforestation had reduced the population to approximately 50,000. Surveys conducted by the Wildlife Conservation Society in 2006 and 2007 found around 125,000 previously unreported gorillas have been living in the swamp forests of Lake Tele Community Reserve and in neighbouring Marantaceae (dryland) forests in

3116-635: The Chimera appears in the Orientalizing period that precedes Etruscan Archaic art. The Chimera appears in Etruscan wall paintings of the fourth century BC. In Indus civilization are pictures of the Chimera in many seals. There are different kinds of Chimera composed of animals from the Indian subcontinent . It is not known what the Indus people called the Chimera. Although the Chimera of antiquity

3198-615: The Chimera from the height." Although the Chimera was, according to Homer, situated in foreign Lycia, her representation in the arts was wholly Greek. An autonomous tradition that did not rely on the written word was represented in the visual repertory of the Greek vase painters. The Chimera first appeared early in the repertory of the proto-Corinthian pottery painters, providing some of the earliest identifiable mythological scenes that may be recognized in Greek art . After some early hesitation,

3280-454: The Chimera in the Iliad , saying that "she was of divine stock not of men, in the fore part a lion, in the hinder a serpent, and in the midst a goat, breathing forth in terrible wise the might of blazing fire." Hesiod and Apollodorus gave similar descriptions: a three-headed creature with a lion in front, a fire-breathing goat in the middle, and a serpent in the rear. In a lesser known tale,

3362-519: The Corinthian type was fixed in the 670s BC; the variations in the pictorial representations suggest multiple origins to Marilyn Low Schmitt. The fascination with the monstrous devolved by the end of the seventh century into a decorative Chimera motif in Corinth, while the motif of Bellerophon on Pegasus took on a separate existence alone. A separate Attic tradition, where the goats breathe fire and

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3444-717: The Cross River gorilla population—along with other rare species. The hope is that these gorillas will be able to move between the Takamanda reserve in Cameroon over the border to Nigeria's Cross River National Park. The names of individuals of the species includes: Chimera (mythology) The term "chimera" has come to describe any mythical or fictional creature with parts taken from various animals, to describe anything composed of disparate parts or perceived as wildly imaginative, implausible, or dazzling. In other words,

3526-472: The Greeks), and influences are feasible. The lioness represented the war goddess and protector of both cultures that would unite as Ancient Egypt. Sekhmet was one of the dominant deities in upper Egypt and Bast in lower Egypt. As the divine mother , and more especially as protector, for Lower Egypt, Bast became strongly associated with Wadjet , the patron goddess of Lower Egypt. In Etruscan civilization ,

3608-632: The animal's rear is serpentine, begins with the confidence that Marilyn Low Schmitt is convinced that there must be unrecognized or undiscovered local precursors. Two vase painters employed the motif so consistently they were given the pseudonyms the Bellerophon Painter and the Chimaera Painter. A fire-breathing lioness was one of the earliest solar and war deities in Ancient Egypt (representations from 3000 years prior to

3690-426: The average weight of 42 wild adult male gorillas at 144 kg, while Smith and Jungers (1997) found the average weight of 19 wild adult male gorillas to be 169 kg. Adult male gorillas are known as silverbacks due to the characteristic silver hair on their backs reaching to the hips. The tallest gorilla recorded was a 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) silverback with an arm span of 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in),

3772-773: The classifications of gorilla include varying density, size, hair colour, length, culture, and facial widths. Population genetics of the lowland gorillas suggest that the western and eastern lowland populations diverged around 261 thousand years ago. Wild male gorillas weigh 136 to 227 kg (300 to 500 lb), while adult females weigh 68–113 kg (150–250 lb). Adult males are 1.4 to 1.8 m (4 ft 7 in to 5 ft 11 in) tall, with an arm span that stretches from 2.3 to 2.6 m (7 ft 7 in to 8 ft 6 in). Female gorillas are shorter at 1.25 to 1.5 m (4 ft 1 in to 4 ft 11 in), with smaller arm spans. Colin Groves (1970) calculated

3854-557: The decline of this subspecies. In 2007, a conservation plan for the Cross River gorilla was published, outlining the most important actions necessary to preserve this subspecies. The government of Cameroon has created the Takamanda National Park on the border with Nigeria, as an attempt to protect these gorillas. The park now forms part of an important trans-boundary protected area with Nigeria's Cross River National Park , safeguarding an estimated 115 gorillas—a third of

3936-407: The eastern gorilla lives in east central Africa. Between the species, and even within the species, gorillas live in a variety of habitats and elevations. Gorilla habitat ranges from montane forest to swampland. Eastern gorillas inhabit montane and submontane forests between 650 and 4,000 m (2,130 and 13,120 ft) above sea level. Mountain gorillas live in montane forests at the higher end of

4018-424: The eastern gorilla. Two subspecies are recognised: the western lowland gorilla ( Gorilla gorilla gorilla ) is found in most of West Africa ; while the Cross River gorilla ( Gorilla gorilla diehli ) is limited to a smaller range in the north at the border of Cameroon and Nigeria. Both subspecies are listed Critically Endangered . A formal description of the species was provided by Thomas Savage in 1847, allying

4100-641: The elevation range, while eastern lowland gorillas live in submontane forests at the lower end. In addition, eastern lowland gorillas live in montane bamboo forests, as well as lowland forests ranging from 600–3,308 m (1,969–10,853 ft) in elevation. Western gorillas live in both lowland swamp forests and montane forests, at elevations ranging from sea level to 1,600 m (5,200 ft). Western lowland gorillas live in swamp and lowland forests ranging up to 1,600 m (5,200 ft), and Cross River gorillas live in low-lying and submontane forests ranging from 150–1,600 m (490–5,250 ft). A gorilla's day

4182-471: The first three to four years of their lives. The interval between births, therefore, is long, which partly explains the slow population growth rates that make the western gorilla so vulnerable to poaching. Due to the long gestation time, long period of parental care, and infant mortality, a female gorilla will only give birth to an offspring that survives to maturity every six to eight years. Western gorillas are long-lived and may survive for as long as 40 years in

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4264-418: The genera Tetrapleura , Chrysophyllum , Dialium , and Landolphia are favored by the western gorillas. Low-quality herbs, such as leaves and woody vegetation, are only eaten when fruit is scarce. In the dry season from January to March, when fleshy fruits are few and far between, more fibrous vegetation such as the leaves and bark of the low-quality herbs Palisota and Aframomum are consumed. Of

4346-494: The general population. Studies have shown gorilla blood is not reactive to anti-A and anti-B monoclonal antibodies , which would, in humans, indicate type O blood . Due to novel sequences, though, it is different enough to not conform with the human ABO blood group system , into which the other great apes fit. A gorilla's lifespan is normally between 35 and 40 years, although zoo gorillas may live for 50 years or more in rare circumstances . At 67 years, 332 days, Fatou

4428-537: The ground with palms to end display. A gorilla's chest-beat may vary in frequency depending on its size. Smaller ones tend to have higher frequencies, while larger ones tend to be lower. They also do it the most when females are ready to mate. Gorillas are considered highly intelligent. A few individuals in captivity, such as Koko , have been taught a subset of sign language . Like the other great apes , gorillas can laugh, grieve, have "rich emotional lives", develop strong family bonds, make and use tools, and think about

4510-504: The ground, grouped in two patches on the hillside above the Temple of Hephaestus approximately 3 km north of Çıralı , near ancient Olympos , in Lycia . The vents emit burning methane thought to be of metamorphic origin. The fires of these were landmarks in ancient times and were used for navigation by sailors. The Neo-Hittite Chimera from Carchemish , dated 850–750 BC, which

4592-400: The ground. The young nest with their mothers, but construct nests after three years of age, initially close to those of their mothers. Gorilla nests are distributed arbitrarily and use of tree species for site and construction appears to be opportunistic. Nest-building by great apes is now considered to be not just animal architecture , but as an important instance of tool use . Gorillas make

4674-566: The ground... They goe many together, and kill many Negroes that trauaile in the Woods . . . Those Pongos are neuer taken aliue, because they are so strong, that ten men cannot hold one of them... A century and a half after Battel's story was published, one writer claimed that "the large species, described by Buffon and other authors as of the size of a man, is held by many to be a Chimera ." The American physician and missionary Thomas Staughton Savage and naturalist Jeffries Wyman first described

4756-501: The group is attacked by humans, leopards, or other gorillas, an individual silverback will protect the group, even at the cost of his own life. Gorillas do not appear to directly compete with chimpanzees in areas where they overlap. When fruit is abundant, gorilla and chimpanzee diets converge, but when fruit is scarce gorillas resort to vegetation. The two apes may also feed on different species, whether fruit or insects. Gorillas and chimpanzees may ignore or avoid each other when feeding on

4838-537: The hand posture of 77 mountain gorillas at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (8% of the population) found that knuckle walking was done only 60% of the time, and they also supported their weight on their fists, the backs of their hands/feet, and on their palms/soles (with the digits flexed). Such a range of hand postures was previously thought to have been used by only orangutans. Studies of gorilla handedness have yielded varying results, with some arguing for no preference for either hand, and others right-hand dominance for

4920-434: The invertebrates consumed by the western gorillas, termites and ants make up the majority. Caterpillars, grubs, and larvae are also consumed in rarity. Some ethnographic and pharmacological studies have suggested a possible medicinal value in particular foods consumed by the western gorilla. The fruit and seeds of multiple Cola species are consumed. Given the low protein content, the main reason for their consumption may be

5002-413: The last 20 to 25 years. Rather, under the optimistic estimate scenarios, population recovery would require almost 75 years. Yet within the next thirty years, habitat loss and degradation from agriculture, timber extraction, mining and climate change will become increasingly larger threats. Thus, a population reduction of more than 80% over three generations (i.e., 66 years from 1980 to 2046) seems likely. In

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5084-775: The movements of the group, leading the others to feeding sites, and taking responsibility for the safety and well-being of the troop. Younger males subordinate to the silverback, known as blackbacks, may serve as backup protection. Blackbacks are aged between 8 and 12 years and lack the silver back hair. The bond that a silverback has with his females forms the core of gorilla social life. Bonds between them are maintained by grooming and staying close together. Females form strong relationships with males to gain mating opportunities and protection from predators and infanticidal outside males. However, aggressive behaviours between males and females do occur, but rarely lead to serious injury. Relationships between females may vary. Maternally related females in

5166-574: The name of a gigantic ship of Gyas in the ship-race, with possible allegorical significance in contemporary Roman politics. Pliny the Elder cited Ctesias and quoted Photius identifying the Chimera with an area of permanent gas vents that still may be found by hikers on the Lycian Way in southwest Turkey . Called in Turkish, Yanartaş (flaming rock), the area contains some two dozen vents in

5248-421: The new species to an earlier description of the chimpanzee as Troglodytes gorilla in a group of eastern simians he referred to as " orangs ". The author selected the specific epithet for the name given by Hanno to "wild men" he had noted on the east coast of Africa, presumed by Savage to be a species of orang. The population is recognised as two subspecies: Nearly all of the individuals of this taxon belong to

5330-409: The number of Cross River gorillas remaining is 250–300 in the wild, concentrated in approximately 9-11 locations. Recent genetic research and field surveys suggest that there is occasional migration of individual gorillas between locations. The nearest population of western lowland gorilla is some 250 km (160 mi) away. Both loss of habitat and intense hunting for bushmeat have contributed to

5412-471: The others and they are more dispersed across their range. They travel even farther than the other gorilla subspecies, at 1,105 m (0.687 mi) per day on average, and have larger home ranges of 7–14 km (2.7–5.4 sq mi). Western lowland gorillas have less access to terrestrial herbs, although they can access aquatic herbs in some areas. Termites and ants are also eaten. Gorillas rarely drink water "because they consume succulent vegetation that

5494-487: The past and future. Some researchers believe gorillas have spiritual feelings or religious sentiments. They have been shown to have cultures in different areas revolving around different methods of food preparation, and will show individual colour preferences . 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

5576-557: The relationships between various gorilla populations. The species and subspecies listed here are the ones upon which most scientists agree. [REDACTED] 2,600 [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Unknown [REDACTED] 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 . Some variations that distinguish

5658-414: The same tree, but they have also been documented to form social bonds. Conversely, coalitions of chimpanzees have been observed attacking families of gorillas including silverbacks and killing infants. Gorillas live in groups called troops. Troops tend to be made of one adult male or silverback, with a harem of multiple adult females and their offspring. However, multiple-male troops also exist. A silverback

5740-757: The seventeenth century through a symbolic representation in Cesare Ripa 's Iconological . The myths of the Chimera may be found in the Bibliotheca of Pseudo-Apollodorus (book 1), the Iliad (book 16) by Homer , the Fabulae 57 and 151 by Hyginus , the Metamorphoses (book VI 339 by Ovid ; IX 648), and the Theogony 319ff by Hesiod . Virgil , in the Aeneid (book 5) employs Chimaera for

5822-399: The silverback. If the silverback dies, these males may be able to become dominant or mate with the females. This behaviour has not been observed in eastern lowland gorillas. In a single male group, when the silverback dies, the females and their offspring disperse and find a new troop. Without a silverback to protect them, the infants will likely fall victim to infanticide . Joining a new group

5904-538: The stimulating effect of the caffeine in them. Western gorillas inhabiting Gabon have been observed consuming the fruit, stems, and roots of Tabernanthe iboga , which, due to the compound ibogaine in it, acts on the central nervous system, producing hallucinogenic effects. It also has effects comparable to caffeine. There is also evidence for medicinal value for the seed pods of Aframomum melegueta in western gorillas' diets, which seem to have some sort of cardiovascular health benefit for western lowland gorillas, and are

5986-534: The survival of the species. However, conservation efforts have been successful in some areas where they live. The word gorilla comes from the history of Hanno the Navigator ( c. 500 BC), a Carthaginian explorer on an expedition to the west African coast to the area that later became Sierra Leone . Members of the expedition encountered "savage people, the greater part of whom were women, whose bodies were hairy, and whom our interpreters called Gorillae". It

6068-517: The western gorilla. Like humans, gorillas have individual fingerprints. Their eye colour is dark brown, framed by a black ring around the iris. Gorilla facial structure is described as mandibular prognathism , that is, the mandible protrudes farther out than the maxilla . Adult males also have a prominent sagittal crest . Gorillas move around by knuckle-walking , although they sometimes walk upright for short distances, typically while carrying food or in defensive situations. A 2018 study investigating

6150-476: The western lowland gorilla in both skull and tooth dimensions. Western gorillas live in groups that vary in size from two to twenty individuals. Such groups are composed of at least one male, several females and their offspring. A dominant male silverback heads the group, with younger males usually leaving the group when they reach maturity. Females transfer to another group before breeding, which begins at eight to nine years old; they care for their young infants for

6232-529: The whereabouts of individual group members. They may also be used during social interactions when discipline is required. Screams and roars signal alarm or warning, and are produced most often by silverbacks. Deep, rumbling belches suggest contentment and are heard frequently during feeding and resting periods. They are the most common form of intragroup communication. For this reason, conflicts are most often resolved by displays and other threat behaviours that are intended to intimidate without becoming physical. As

6314-872: The wild. Gorillas' natural habitats cover tropical or subtropical forest in Sub-Saharan Africa . Although their range covers a small percentage of Sub-Saharan 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 2,200 to 4,300 metres (7,200 to 14,100 ft). Lowland gorillas live in dense forests and lowland swamps and marshes as low as sea level , with western lowland gorillas living in Central West African countries and eastern lowland gorillas living in

6396-608: The wild. 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. A second female was seen using a tree stump as a bridge and also as a support whilst fishing in the swamp. This means all of the great apes are now known to use tools. Western gorilla Western lowland gorilla ( Gorilla gorilla gorilla ) Cross River gorilla ( Gorilla gorilla diehli ) The western gorilla ( Gorilla gorilla )

6478-531: The wild. A group's home range may be as large as 30 km (12 sq mi), but is not actively defended. Wild western gorillas are known to use tools. Western gorillas' diets are high in fiber, including leaves, stems, fruit, piths, flowers, bark, invertebrates, and soil. The frequency of when each of these are consumed depends on the particular western gorilla group and the season. Furthermore, different groups of western gorillas eat differing numbers and species of plants and invertebrates, suggesting they have

6560-404: Was "a bane to many men". As told in the Iliad , the hero Bellerophon was ordered by the king of Lycia to slay the Chimera (hoping the monster would kill Bellerophon). Still, the hero, "trusting in the signs of the gods", succeeded in killing the Chimera. Hesiod adds that Bellerophon had help in killing the Chimera, saying, "her did Pegasus and noble Bellerophon slay". Apollodorus gave

6642-618: Was forgotten in Medieval art, chimerical figures appear as embodiments of the deceptive, even satanic forces of raw nature. They were depicted with a human face and a scaly tail, as in Dante 's vision of Geryon in Inferno xvii.7–17, 25–27, hybrid monsters, more akin to the Manticore of Pliny's Natural History (viii.90), provided iconic representations of hypocrisy and fraud well into

6724-514: Was meant instead. However, the mythographers Apollodorus (citing Hesiod as his source) and Hyginus both make the Chimera the offspring of Echidna and Typhon. Hesiod also has the Sphinx and the Nemean lion as the offspring of Orthus , and another ambiguous "she", often understood as probably referring to the Chimera, although possibly instead to Echidna , or again even Ceto . Homer described

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