The Great Apes

[Shadow]

(10-14-2018, 01:30 PM)brotherbear Wrote: Posted by GuateGojira - Wanhsien tiger - post #57. 
   
To be honest, I think that even at double of the weight (260 kg againts 500 kg), tigers are a treath to any giant primate. If not, check some cases of leopards of 50-60 kg hunting an killing gorillas of 130 - 140 kg, which is the weight of a young male gorilla, a "black back".

I have to say that much, that I find these who beats who discussions pretty much like barrels of gunpowder waiting for someone to put the fire there. But it looks like here people are able to handle things in mature way. At least mostly if not every time.

Because I now just mentioned gorillas and leopards, I would like to add this much. As far as I have seen documents and articles, for me it looks like this. Leopards have hunted gorillas in the past and most probably do that still but maybe less than before. No more so many gorillas there and who knows how much all those people there from conservation and research programs have influence keeping leopards avoiding areas where those few gorillas are nowadays (that pure speculation from me).

Anyway main method to hunt gorillas seems to be night time sneak attacks to tree nests of gorillas, so fights are short and there is some indication, that at least some leopards know where to "hit". I mean cases where is mentioned heavy injuries at groin area of gorillas. So gorilla is practically dead when waking up in those cases and no chance to do anything. When gorillas are awake and in groups, they for sure are no easy target and looks like then leopards try to take some baby or very young one quickly if finding such in some way alone a little bit "out" of group. If not able to do that, then letting it be and waiting for another opportunity.

Then again if some gorilla is alone, for some reason without others nearby, then any gorilla is in danger if there is hungry leopard nearby. It is difficult to say too much because so little information. In one pretty reliable case both, silverback and leopard had killed each others in wildlife. So most probably that has been an attack without surprise advantage or then it just wasn´t enough. Of course it is possible, that leopard made attack despite there was no surprise possibility, but this is all speculation. Only certain thing is, that there they were both dead and by injuries inflicted by each others. There is not enough information to say if there were other gorillas too in that fight.

One article from newspaper told about a case, where people heard gorilla screaming and leopard roaring and then from tracks they could see, that there had been a fight and gorilla was able to flee and leopard gave up after following some time that gorilla. In that case it was a gorilla alone there, no other gorillas. Then one case where black panther ripped open a male gorilla in zoo and when gorilla was unable to defend anymore, personnel shot it for mercy. There was some mistake made with cages so, that panther was able to get to gorilla cage and attack. Gorilla tried to flee, but when nowhere to go, fight started, very sad story to read. Some injuries to panther too, but nothing serious as far as there could be understood from newspaper articles. They had to drug that panther to be able to take it back to its own cage.

I haven´t been able to find more information about this. So can leopard kill a gorilla? For sure. Can gorilla defend? For sure. Fact is just, that in almost all cases there are dead gorillas and only in one case there was a dead leopard with dead gorilla. Another fact is, that in most cases leopard uses sneak attacks, of course as any "big cat" does. They are not there to prove something, they are there to get food. In as "economical" way as possible as any predator would be. What I think is, that gorilla is relatively vulnerable compared to some other animals, so even though it has advantages too, it is far from being invincible. But then again, it is without a doubt also able to give back. It just isn´t so easy to hit a target like leopard in way, which would put it out just like that, those are fast and agile bastards :) 

I often think myself this matter like this. When having to grab a housecat, which is for some reason furious, I have no desire to do that without thick gloves and a coat. I think, that it is same reason why gorillas are afraid of leopards. Those claws are just nasty. Reply