1001 wonder: Decoding gorilla’s clapping behavior

A lot of people think that gorillas patting gorillas are just a sign of defiance or domination.

Chest patting is a means of communication However, recently a new study has revealed that gorilla clapping behavior is not quite as we know it. Research published in the journal Scientific Reports concluded that gorilla clapping was in fact a means of non-verbal communication that “encoded” their competitiveness instead of boasting of strength. The gorilla clapping itself represents an interesting kind of communication unlike a human. It is not really a voice but an act of inclination to show off visible and audible physical strength. To draw conclusions, the researchers sought to record the sound of the chest beating using photometry. With this method, scientists do not need to get close to the gorilla because the extremely powerful male monkeys pose many dangers in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda. However, even using photometry, scientists still need to be in the right place and at the right time to catch chest beats from gorillas. The results showed that sounds had lower frequencies in large male mountain gorillas, while younger males had higher frequency sounds. Where low-frequency sounds travel further than high-frequency sounds, which means that larger males can be more formidable competitors. This is useful for males of similar or smaller size who can use the information to decide if it is worthwhile against the competitor or to step back. In previous research conducted by the same group of researchers found that the larger male mountain gorillas not only were socially dominant, they were also more likely to reproduce successfully than the offspring. the male is smaller. With female monkeys, they will also collect information from the male monkey’s chest pounding sound to decide on a worthy mate. “The gorilla’s chest banging is one of the iconic sounds of the animal kingdom, so it’s great that we can prove that gorilla’s body size has been encoded in the displays. This spectacular performance, “said Edward Wright, author of the study from the Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology. Critically endangered species on the Red List Gorilla is a genus of primates belonging to the family of humans, herbivores living in the jungles of Africa, the largest of the extant primates. Gorillas are divided into two species (there can be 4 to 5 more subspecies). The DNA of the gorilla is the same as that of humans 98% -99%. They are very closely related to humans after only 2 species of chimpanzees. This primate has a massive body. Gorillas are 1.7–2 m tall when standing upright and weigh 180–200 kg. These animals usually walk on all fours, although they can stand on two legs. Gorilla lives in the tropical and subtropical forests of Africa. Gorillas move with their knuckles, although they can sometimes stand upright with food or on defense. Wild adult gorillas weigh 135 to 180 kg (298 to 397 lb) while females are usually half as much as 68–113 kg (150–249 lb) males. Adult males are 1.7 to 1.8 m (5.6 to 5.9 ft) tall, with an arm span of 2.3 to 2.6 m (7.5 to 8.5 ft). Females have a shorter arm span. The adult male gorilla is known as the “silver back” due to the silver hair on its back. Occasionally, a silverback greater than 1.8 meters and 230 kg is recorded in the wild. The obese gorilla in captivity 270 kg. Gorillas live in groups under the command of the strongest and most powerful male. It is the male’s duty to lead and protect the whole herd from being attacked by wild animals. The gorilla’s most dangerous enemy is the very ferocious leopard. When threatened, the male will stand upright and pound his stomach with two hands to warn him before fighting. The gorilla is known as a powerful beast with a large appearance, much stronger than a human, powerful and intelligent hands and a gorilla punch that can make everything facing a deformation. . Despite its massive and massive body, Gorilla has an average running speed of about 40 km / h. All species (and subspecies) of the gorilla are listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Now, more than 100,000 western lowland gorillas are thought to exist in the wild, with 4,000 in zoos; The eastern lowland gorilla has a population of less than 5,000 in the wild and 24 in the zoo. The mountain gorilla is the most endangered species, with an estimated population of 880 remaining in the wild and no species in the zoo.