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The Great Apes

Finland Shadow Offline
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( This post was last modified: 09-30-2019, 10:26 PM by Shadow )

(09-30-2019, 10:13 PM)GuateGojira Wrote:
(09-30-2019, 09:37 PM)The Panther Wrote: But do you really think that's the heaviest they get? Because I find it hard to believe males like Guhonda weigh about or less than 220 kg, and this is coming from someone who hates big estimations without good comparisons. Old males like Guhonda seem to match some of the heaviest captive gorillas in size, albeit more muscular and healthier. I just feel like there isn't enough evidence on their size to determine if that's the heaviest they can attain or not, plus it would be unrealistic if that's all they could reach in the wild to be honest, wouldn't you agree? 

Please don't get me wrong, I understand that may be the biggest on record, but is it really the biggest they can get to?

You have a good point, the sample size of gorillas hunte/captured in the wild is very small, compared with other animals. So that may influence the posible specimens that we may found.

For all the studies that I could found previously, I remember that the heaviest male reliable recorded was one of 219 kg (Schaller, 1964), but there is other modern record of 220 kg (Briggs, 2018).

Here are the images:

*This image is copyright of its original author



*This image is copyright of its original author


So, there is the posibility of heavier males, but for the moment, and based in the few samples available, those are the biggest ones.

By the way, here are some measurements that may interest you.

*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author

So Schaller had information about adult males and average weight was 375 lbs, 170 kg. Then again that later book looks like to have information about Guhonda, just written by Briggs and Connolly as Guhondo. Such typos aren´t anything too special, I think. It looks like, that Guhonda has been weighed then 2018?
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The Panther Offline
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(09-30-2019, 10:13 PM)GuateGojira Wrote:
(09-30-2019, 09:37 PM)The Panther Wrote: But do you really think that's the heaviest they get? Because I find it hard to believe males like Guhonda weigh about or less than 220 kg, and this is coming from someone who hates big estimations without good comparisons. Old males like Guhonda seem to match some of the heaviest captive gorillas in size, albeit more muscular and healthier. I just feel like there isn't enough evidence on their size to determine if that's the heaviest they can attain or not, plus it would be unrealistic if that's all they could reach in the wild to be honest, wouldn't you agree? 

Please don't get me wrong, I understand that may be the biggest on record, but is it really the biggest they can get to?

You have a good point, the sample size of gorillas hunte/captured in the wild is very small, compared with other animals. So that may influence the posible specimens that we may found.

For all the studies that I could found previously, I remember that the heaviest male reliable recorded was one of 219 kg (Schaller, 1964), but there is other modern record of 220 kg (Briggs, 2018).

Here are the images:

*This image is copyright of its original author



*This image is copyright of its original author


So, there is the posibility of heavier males, but for the moment, and based in the few samples available, those are the biggest ones.

By the way, here are some measurements that may interest you.

*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author
I've seen some of these before, but yeah, I personally believe certain males can and have surpassed that, it's just the evidence that's a problem right now. That's what I love about tiger, lion or even bear research, there's plenty to go around when it comes to evidence, while it's scarce for gorillas. Anyway, thanks for the images.
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GuateGojira Offline
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Actually that of 2018 is the 7th edition of the book, there are previous ones. So probably was weighed before that year, but I don't have more information about that event. Disappointed
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The Panther Offline
Regular Member
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(09-30-2019, 10:25 PM)Shadow Wrote:
(09-30-2019, 10:13 PM)GuateGojira Wrote:
(09-30-2019, 09:37 PM)The Panther Wrote: But do you really think that's the heaviest they get? Because I find it hard to believe males like Guhonda weigh about or less than 220 kg, and this is coming from someone who hates big estimations without good comparisons. Old males like Guhonda seem to match some of the heaviest captive gorillas in size, albeit more muscular and healthier. I just feel like there isn't enough evidence on their size to determine if that's the heaviest they can attain or not, plus it would be unrealistic if that's all they could reach in the wild to be honest, wouldn't you agree? 

Please don't get me wrong, I understand that may be the biggest on record, but is it really the biggest they can get to?

You have a good point, the sample size of gorillas hunte/captured in the wild is very small, compared with other animals. So that may influence the posible specimens that we may found.

For all the studies that I could found previously, I remember that the heaviest male reliable recorded was one of 219 kg (Schaller, 1964), but there is other modern record of 220 kg (Briggs, 2018).

Here are the images:

*This image is copyright of its original author



*This image is copyright of its original author


So, there is the posibility of heavier males, but for the moment, and based in the few samples available, those are the biggest ones.

By the way, here are some measurements that may interest you.

*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author

So Schaller had information about adult males and average weight was 375 lbs, 170 kg. Then again that later book looks like to have information about Guhonda, just written by Briggs and Connolly as Guhondo. Such typos aren´t anything too special, I think. It looks like, that Guhonda has been weighed then 2018?
Really, they managed to weigh Guhonda, where?
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GuateGojira Offline
Expert & Researcher
*****

(09-30-2019, 10:34 PM)The Panther Wrote: I've seen some of these before, but yeah, I personally believe certain males can and have surpassed that, it's just the evidence that's a problem right now. That's what I love about tiger, lion or even bear research, there's plenty to go around when it comes to evidence, while it's scarce for gorillas. Anyway, thanks for the images.

No problem. Like
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Finland Shadow Offline
Contributor
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(09-30-2019, 10:37 PM)The Panther Wrote:
(09-30-2019, 10:25 PM)Shadow Wrote:
(09-30-2019, 10:13 PM)GuateGojira Wrote:
(09-30-2019, 09:37 PM)The Panther Wrote: But do you really think that's the heaviest they get? Because I find it hard to believe males like Guhonda weigh about or less than 220 kg, and this is coming from someone who hates big estimations without good comparisons. Old males like Guhonda seem to match some of the heaviest captive gorillas in size, albeit more muscular and healthier. I just feel like there isn't enough evidence on their size to determine if that's the heaviest they can attain or not, plus it would be unrealistic if that's all they could reach in the wild to be honest, wouldn't you agree? 

Please don't get me wrong, I understand that may be the biggest on record, but is it really the biggest they can get to?

You have a good point, the sample size of gorillas hunte/captured in the wild is very small, compared with other animals. So that may influence the posible specimens that we may found.

For all the studies that I could found previously, I remember that the heaviest male reliable recorded was one of 219 kg (Schaller, 1964), but there is other modern record of 220 kg (Briggs, 2018).

Here are the images:

*This image is copyright of its original author



*This image is copyright of its original author


So, there is the posibility of heavier males, but for the moment, and based in the few samples available, those are the biggest ones.

By the way, here are some measurements that may interest you.

*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author

So Schaller had information about adult males and average weight was 375 lbs, 170 kg. Then again that later book looks like to have information about Guhonda, just written by Briggs and Connolly as Guhondo. Such typos aren´t anything too special, I think. It looks like, that Guhonda has been weighed then 2018?
Really, they managed to weigh Guhonda, where?

That would be interesting to know more.

Here one example about it, how myths can start to live... :)

Quote:
"I’m standing 10 feet away from Guhonda, a Mountain Gorilla weighing  a staggering 1100 pounds.  No fences separate us; no vehicle waits to whisk us away to safety. I am, for all intents and purposes, a guest in his home, the thick bush of Volcanoes National Park in northwestern Rwanda.  I wait for the sense of danger to appear, the panic surely wrought by such close proximity to an animal as powerful as this. But it does not come. Instead I feel oddly at ease, Guhonda and his Gorilla family leisurely going about their day, oblivious to the human visitors who have traveled far and wide to catch a glimpse of him. Suddenly Guhonda springs to life and dashes forward with unnatural speed, grunting and pounding his chest like his famed cinematic cousin, a signal to the rest of the group it’s time to get moving. We stand in gleeful awe and understand King Kong has nothing on Guhonda, the real king of this remote world."

1100 pounds would be 499 kg...... 

"Source" Wink https://www.karellafrica.com/gorilla-trekking/gorilla-trekking-in-rwanda/
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The Panther Offline
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( This post was last modified: 09-30-2019, 11:02 PM by The Panther )

(09-30-2019, 10:25 PM)Shadow Wrote:
(09-30-2019, 10:13 PM)GuateGojira Wrote:
(09-30-2019, 09:37 PM)The Panther Wrote: But do you really think that's the heaviest they get? Because I find it hard to believe males like Guhonda weigh about or less than 220 kg, and this is coming from someone who hates big estimations without good comparisons. Old males like Guhonda seem to match some of the heaviest captive gorillas in size, albeit more muscular and healthier. I just feel like there isn't enough evidence on their size to determine if that's the heaviest they can attain or not, plus it would be unrealistic if that's all they could reach in the wild to be honest, wouldn't you agree? 

Please don't get me wrong, I understand that may be the biggest on record, but is it really the biggest they can get to?

You have a good point, the sample size of gorillas hunte/captured in the wild is very small, compared with other animals. So that may influence the posible specimens that we may found.

For all the studies that I could found previously, I remember that the heaviest male reliable recorded was one of 219 kg (Schaller, 1964), but there is other modern record of 220 kg (Briggs, 2018).

Here are the images:

*This image is copyright of its original author



*This image is copyright of its original author


So, there is the posibility of heavier males, but for the moment, and based in the few samples available, those are the biggest ones.

By the way, here are some measurements that may interest you.

*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author

So Schaller had information about adult males and average weight was 375 lbs, 170 kg. Then again that later book looks like to have information about Guhonda, just written by Briggs and Connolly as Guhondo. Such typos aren´t anything too special, I think. It looks like, that Guhonda has been weighed 
I've only seen an estimation I read years ago for Guhonda, and it was exactly 220 kg. I never really believed it, due to how risky it would be to sedate and weigh such a dominant established silverback, normally it's only solitary males that get sedated and then treated, but old established silverbacks with large groups? That's a first. These people know how important a dominant male in a group is, it would cause problems in a group if they did something to the silverback, even if for treatment.

Lol, I don't even pay attention to stupid estimations like that, 1100 lbs? What was that person smoking.
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GuateGojira Offline
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(09-30-2019, 10:25 PM)Shadow Wrote: It looks like, that Guhonda has been weighed then 2018?

Interesting, I searched all the available editions of that particular book in the web and found that in the 2nd edition of 2004 it do not mention that record, not even that male. Check what it says about the weights:

*This image is copyright of its original author


However in the 3rd edition of 2006, the weights is published, check this:

*This image is copyright of its original author



*This image is copyright of its original author


So, we can speculate that trough 2004 to the end of 2005 (earlier than the publication of the 3rd edition of the book) the gorilla "Guhonda" was weighed. Now, the book suggest that the animal was actually weighed, but I will like to know the details. After all, we can't discard that this figure is just an estimation.

Someone knows who is studying gorilas in that area, specifically the Sabyinyo group? A confirmation of the capture of the specimen will be perfect, just be clear if this gorilla was actually captured or not.
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GuateGojira Offline
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Interesting readings about this male:

Respiratory Illness Spreads Through Sabyinyo Group - 2013
Several gorilas were sick but they were treated.
Link: https://www.gorilladoctors.org/respirato...nyo-group/

Finding Guhonda, the oldest silverback gorilla in Rwanda - 2018
It says that this male is 47 years old.
Link: https://www.yourafricansafari.com/articl...-in-rwanda

There is a facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/gorilladoctors
Maybe we can try to contact them and confirm the weight.
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Finland Shadow Offline
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(09-30-2019, 11:07 PM)GuateGojira Wrote:
(09-30-2019, 10:25 PM)Shadow Wrote: It looks like, that Guhonda has been weighed then 2018?

Interesting, I searched all the available editions of that particular book in the web and found that in the 2nd edition of 2004 it do not mention that record, not even that male. Check what it says about the weights:

*This image is copyright of its original author


However in the 3rd edition of 2006, the weights is published, check this:

*This image is copyright of its original author



*This image is copyright of its original author


So, we can speculate that trough 2004 to the end of 2005 (earlier than the publication of the 3rd edition of the book) the gorilla "Guhonda" was weighed. Now, the book suggest that the animal was actually weighed, but I will like to know the details. After all, we can't discard that this figure is just an estimation.

Someone knows who is studying gorilas in that area, specifically the Sabyinyo group? A confirmation of the capture of the specimen will be perfect, just be clear if this gorilla was actually captured or not.

Very interesting information. Hopefully more can be found out. For me it looks like it, that after prime condition older gorillas could still gain more weight even though price is to be more or less obese at that point.
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GuateGojira Offline
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Just check these pictures:

*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author


It seems that the Guhonda male is a real giant.
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GuateGojira Offline
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Check these two pages:

Says 220 kg:
https://www.volcanoesparkrwanda.org/info...la-family/

Says about 225 kg:
https://uganda365.com/uganda-mountain-gorillas-facts/


I think that maybe that figure was just an estimation. Again, if you can check with the facebook webpage will be perfect, just to make sure. For the moment, and based in the pictures, a figure of 220 kg for that male is not out of question.
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The Panther Offline
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( This post was last modified: 09-30-2019, 11:45 PM by The Panther )

(09-30-2019, 11:18 PM)Shadow Wrote:
(09-30-2019, 11:07 PM)GuateGojira Wrote:
(09-30-2019, 10:25 PM)Shadow Wrote: It looks like, that Guhonda has been weighed then 2018?

Interesting, I searched all the available editions of that particular book in the web and found that in the 2nd edition of 2004 it do not mention that record, not even that male. Check what it says about the weights:

*This image is copyright of its original author


However in the 3rd edition of 2006, the weights is published, check this:

*This image is copyright of its original author



*This image is copyright of its original author


So, we can speculate that trough 2004 to the end of 2005 (earlier than the publication of the 3rd edition of the book) the gorilla "Guhonda" was weighed. Now, the book suggest that the animal was actually weighed, but I will like to know the details. After all, we can't discard that this figure is just an estimation.

Someone knows who is studying gorilas in that area, specifically the Sabyinyo group? A confirmation of the capture of the specimen will be perfect, just be clear if this gorilla was actually captured or not.

Very interesting information. Hopefully more can be found out. For me it looks like it, that after prime condition older gorillas could still gain more weight even though price is to be more or less obese at that point.
Old males like him could very well be obese, though they're not as flabby as the obese captive males I've seen.
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The Panther Offline
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( This post was last modified: 10-01-2019, 12:05 AM by The Panther )

(09-30-2019, 10:50 PM)Shadow Wrote:
(09-30-2019, 10:37 PM)The Panther Wrote:
(09-30-2019, 10:25 PM)Shadow Wrote:
(09-30-2019, 10:13 PM)GuateGojira Wrote:
(09-30-2019, 09:37 PM)The Panther Wrote: But do you really think that's the heaviest they get? Because I find it hard to believe males like Guhonda weigh about or less than 220 kg, and this is coming from someone who hates big estimations without good comparisons. Old males like Guhonda seem to match some of the heaviest captive gorillas in size, albeit more muscular and healthier. I just feel like there isn't enough evidence on their size to determine if that's the heaviest they can attain or not, plus it would be unrealistic if that's all they could reach in the wild to be honest, wouldn't you agree? 

Please don't get me wrong, I understand that may be the biggest on record, but is it really the biggest they can get to?

You have a good point, the sample size of gorillas hunte/captured in the wild is very small, compared with other animals. So that may influence the posible specimens that we may found.

For all the studies that I could found previously, I remember that the heaviest male reliable recorded was one of 219 kg (Schaller, 1964), but there is other modern record of 220 kg (Briggs, 2018).

Here are the images:

*This image is copyright of its original author



*This image is copyright of its original author


So, there is the posibility of heavier males, but for the moment, and based in the few samples available, those are the biggest ones.

By the way, here are some measurements that may interest you.

*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author

So Schaller had information about adult males and average weight was 375 lbs, 170 kg. Then again that later book looks like to have information about Guhonda, just written by Briggs and Connolly as Guhondo. Such typos aren´t anything too special, I think. It looks like, that Guhonda has been weighed then 2018?
Really, they managed to weigh Guhonda, where?

That would be interesting to know more.

Here one example about it, how myths can start to live... :)

Quote:
"I’m standing 10 feet away from Guhonda, a Mountain Gorilla weighing  a staggering 1100 pounds.  No fences separate us; no vehicle waits to whisk us away to safety. I am, for all intents and purposes, a guest in his home, the thick bush of Volcanoes National Park in northwestern Rwanda.  I wait for the sense of danger to appear, the panic surely wrought by such close proximity to an animal as powerful as this. But it does not come. Instead I feel oddly at ease, Guhonda and his Gorilla family leisurely going about their day, oblivious to the human visitors who have traveled far and wide to catch a glimpse of him. Suddenly Guhonda springs to life and dashes forward with unnatural speed, grunting and pounding his chest like his famed cinematic cousin, a signal to the rest of the group it’s time to get moving. We stand in gleeful awe and understand King Kong has nothing on Guhonda, the real king of this remote world."

1100 pounds would be 499 kg...... 

"Source" Wink https://www.karellafrica.com/gorilla-trekking/gorilla-trekking-in-rwanda/

These are nice examples of how they're potentially obese.
Like Guhonda here

*This image is copyright of its original author


Or Kwitonda here 


*This image is copyright of its original author


Like this captive Male

*This image is copyright of its original author



*This image is copyright of its original author

So yeah, they do show signs of obesity.
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Finland Shadow Offline
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(09-30-2019, 11:51 PM)The Panther Wrote:
(09-30-2019, 10:50 PM)Shadow Wrote:
(09-30-2019, 10:37 PM)The Panther Wrote:
(09-30-2019, 10:25 PM)Shadow Wrote:
(09-30-2019, 10:13 PM)GuateGojira Wrote:
(09-30-2019, 09:37 PM)The Panther Wrote: But do you really think that's the heaviest they get? Because I find it hard to believe males like Guhonda weigh about or less than 220 kg, and this is coming from someone who hates big estimations without good comparisons. Old males like Guhonda seem to match some of the heaviest captive gorillas in size, albeit more muscular and healthier. I just feel like there isn't enough evidence on their size to determine if that's the heaviest they can attain or not, plus it would be unrealistic if that's all they could reach in the wild to be honest, wouldn't you agree? 

Please don't get me wrong, I understand that may be the biggest on record, but is it really the biggest they can get to?

You have a good point, the sample size of gorillas hunte/captured in the wild is very small, compared with other animals. So that may influence the posible specimens that we may found.

For all the studies that I could found previously, I remember that the heaviest male reliable recorded was one of 219 kg (Schaller, 1964), but there is other modern record of 220 kg (Briggs, 2018).

Here are the images:

*This image is copyright of its original author



*This image is copyright of its original author


So, there is the posibility of heavier males, but for the moment, and based in the few samples available, those are the biggest ones.

By the way, here are some measurements that may interest you.

*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author

So Schaller had information about adult males and average weight was 375 lbs, 170 kg. Then again that later book looks like to have information about Guhonda, just written by Briggs and Connolly as Guhondo. Such typos aren´t anything too special, I think. It looks like, that Guhonda has been weighed then 2018?
Really, they managed to weigh Guhonda, where?

That would be interesting to know more.

Here one example about it, how myths can start to live... :)

Quote:
"I’m standing 10 feet away from Guhonda, a Mountain Gorilla weighing  a staggering 1100 pounds.  No fences separate us; no vehicle waits to whisk us away to safety. I am, for all intents and purposes, a guest in his home, the thick bush of Volcanoes National Park in northwestern Rwanda.  I wait for the sense of danger to appear, the panic surely wrought by such close proximity to an animal as powerful as this. But it does not come. Instead I feel oddly at ease, Guhonda and his Gorilla family leisurely going about their day, oblivious to the human visitors who have traveled far and wide to catch a glimpse of him. Suddenly Guhonda springs to life and dashes forward with unnatural speed, grunting and pounding his chest like his famed cinematic cousin, a signal to the rest of the group it’s time to get moving. We stand in gleeful awe and understand King Kong has nothing on Guhonda, the real king of this remote world."

1100 pounds would be 499 kg...... 

"Source" Wink https://www.karellafrica.com/gorilla-trekking/gorilla-trekking-in-rwanda/

These are nice examples of how they're potentially obese.
Like Guhonda here

*This image is copyright of its original author


Or Kwitonda here 


*This image is copyright of its original author


Like this captive Male

*This image is copyright of its original author



*This image is copyright of its original author

So yeah, they do show signs of obesity.

They enjoy life :)
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