Do Gorillas Have Harems?
A silverback’s job is to defend the group and see to their well-being. He pounds his chest by cupping his hands, and it sounds like pok pok pok, a hollow sound.
Mountain gorilla groups consist of a silverback, black backs, females, and their offspring.
Black backs are males who are sexually mature at 9 years, but they haven’t developed the silver saddle of fur on their back yet. When a black back reaches full maturity, he’s usually run off by the silverback to keep him from mating with the females and weakening his gene pool. The silverback is the center of attention. He makes all the decisions, determines group movements, mediates conflicts, and locates food. Grooming strengthens the bonds within the group.
Gorillas share 98% of our human DNA. Dian Fossey used to call mountain gorillas “mighty wonderful beasts.” It’s absolutely true.
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