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The Great Apes

The Panther Offline
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( This post was last modified: 11-30-2019, 09:18 PM by The Panther )

Nice close up of a silverback mountain gorilla.

*This image is copyright of its original author

Doesn't he just remind you of a massive man but with a beard?
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United Kingdom Sully Offline
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Female gorillas recognize and respond to contagious disease
Lara Streiff
5 days ago

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

A yaws-infected adult gorilla with red lesions mainly located on its face. Photo by Céline Genton/Université de Rennes 1
Salt clearings deep in the Congo basin host numerous breeding groups of Western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). These intelligent social mammals usually reside in groups of two to eight females defended by a single silverback male. Now, long-term studies of these populations show that female gorillas can identify a disfiguring disease in one another, and they consciously avoid it through informed social dispersal to other groups.
A team led by Nelly Ménard of the ECOBIO laboratory at CNRS/University of Rennes 1 used a decade of observations to conclude that gorillas recognize a contagious skin infection called yaws in other individuals. Female members of a breeding group take the disease into account when deciding whether to migrate to another group.
The findings, published recently in Ecology, suggest that females are more likely to change groups when the red facial lesions caused by yaws are visible either in the silverback or among multiple females in their breeding group. They also avoid joining groups with a high prevalence of the disease.


*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author
Odzala-Kokua National Park in the Republic of Congo. Photo by A. Lavandier/CNRS-University of Rennes 1

When Ménard first visited the Odzala-Kokoua National Park in the Republic of the Congo nearly 20 years ago, she recognized that the frequent visits by gorilla social groups provided access to exceptional data on the demographic structure of their populations – as well as their dispersal patterns. During their years in the field, her team identified 593 individuals, divided into 59 breeding groups and 50 unmated units, clustered within two distinct populations of gorillas.
Females move between breeding groups several times during their lifespan. The researchers recorded dozens of instances when females left their own groups or joined new ones. Both of the studied populations live in the same dense tropical forest with overlapping home ranges, so habitat was not a factor in the females’ decisions to change groups. In all cases where both the old and new groups were known, females moved to new groups with fewer numbers of severely infected gorillas.
A female was more likely to leave her breeding group when there were more severely diseased individuals, when her breeding group was older, or when the male silverback was infected, the team’s observations showed.
“We suspected that females were able to take the disease risk into account in their decision to leave or to join a group,” said Ménard. These perceptive apes most likely associate the visual cues of red facial lesions with the worsening effects of the disease, like deformities and handicaps, she said.


*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author
This infant was likely contaminated through contact with its mother. Photo by Peggy Motsch and Guillaume Le Flohic/CNRS-University of Rennes 1

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author
Close contact with its mother may have led to the infection of this infant at a young age. Photo by Peggy Motsch and Guillaume Le Flohic/CNRS-University of Rennes 1

Other studies have shown that spiny lobster, ants, mosquitofish, and house mice avoid others of their species who are visibly sick, said Dieter Lukas, a senior researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Plön, Germany, who was not involved in the study. Among primates, mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) will avoid grooming others who are infected with endoparasites. However, the finding by Ménard’s team appears to be the first case of social mammals “choosing which group to join according to the disease status of the other group members,” Lukas said.
There is still a social toll when females leave familiar breeding groups, such as lower status in new groups or delayed mating opportunities. Females also hesitate to migrate if they have an unweaned infant, fearing infanticide. The animals weigh these risks, Lukas noted: “The interesting observation is that female gorillas might be willing to pay a short-term cost… in order to potentially avoid a long-term cost associated with contracting a disease.”
Ménard is curious whether other primates, such as chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), show similar behaviors. “The few [chimpanzees] who visited the study clearings did not show any signs of this disease,” she said. However, a chimpanzee population being studied in Uganda displays facial deformities due to ingesting pesticides, offering a research opportunity: “It would be very interesting to test whether these [deformities] impact social relationships.”


*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author
A yaws-infected adult gorilla with red lesions mainly located on its face. Photo by Céline Genton/Université de Rennes 1

https://news.mongabay.com/2019/11/female-gorillas-recognize-and-respond-to-contagious-disease/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

Citation:
Baudouin, A., Gatti, S., Levréro, F., Genton, C., Cristescu, R. H., Billy, V., … Ménard, N. (2019). Disease avoidance, and breeding group age and size condition the dispersal patterns of western lowland gorilla females. Ecology, 100(9). https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2786
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The Panther Offline
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( This post was last modified: 12-08-2019, 04:29 AM by The Panther )

(10-01-2019, 08:18 PM)GuateGojira Wrote: Check the image of the record gorilla (based on weight):

*This image is copyright of its original author


Wood do not quote its height probably because that gorilla doesn't look like one of 198 cm in height. Probably it was about the same height than the Commander Gatti.

The figure of 206 cm tall of Carwardine is incorrect.

I think that the modern silverbacks like Guhonda seems bigger than this specimen. What do you think?
 @GuateGojira @Shadow 
Now that you guys have seen my comparisons, I hope they made things clearer. I've concluded based on the comparisons with M'bongo and Samson, Guhonda would likely be over 570+ to 580+lbs (or over 259 to over 263kg). The other males (similar to Guhonda) would likely be over 550+ to 560+lbs (or over 250 to over 254kg). I'm normally not a fan of estimations, but I do have confidence in them when we include comparisons. Anyway, I just wanted to say what I didn't get to say before, but I hope everything is clearer now.
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Finland Shadow Offline
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(12-01-2019, 03:51 PM)The Panther Wrote:
(10-01-2019, 08:18 PM)GuateGojira Wrote: Check the image of the record gorilla (based on weight):

*This image is copyright of its original author


Wood do not quote its height probably because that gorilla doesn't look like one of 198 cm in height. Probably it was about the same height than the Commander Gatti.

The figure of 206 cm tall of Carwardine is incorrect.

I think that the modern silverbacks like Guhonda seems bigger than this specimen. What do you think?
 @GuateGojira @Shadow 
Now that you guys have seen my comparisons, I hope they made things clearer. I've concluded based on the comparisons with M'bongo and Samson, Guhonda is likely over 570 to 580+lbs (or over 259 to 263 kg). The other males in Guhonda's size range are likely over 550 to 560+lbs (or over 250 to 254 kg). I'm normally not a fan of estimations, but I do have confidence in them when we include comparisons. Anyway, i just wanted to say what I didn't get to say in the other posts, I hope everything is clearer now.

I think, that it´s clear. We have for all animals confirmed weights and then some unconfirmed or estimations. Nothing wrong in discussing about these things, when keeping it clear when talking about confirmed cases and unconfirmed or what is estimated to be possible. I hope, that one day scientists would be able to get weighed one really big one again if some good reason like medical treatment would offer such possibility. Otherwise I hope, that people let gorillas live in peace and mind their own business.
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The Panther Offline
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(12-01-2019, 04:12 PM)Shadow Wrote:
(12-01-2019, 03:51 PM)The Panther Wrote:
(10-01-2019, 08:18 PM)GuateGojira Wrote: Check the image of the record gorilla (based on weight):

*This image is copyright of its original author


Wood do not quote its height probably because that gorilla doesn't look like one of 198 cm in height. Probably it was about the same height than the Commander Gatti.

The figure of 206 cm tall of Carwardine is incorrect.

I think that the modern silverbacks like Guhonda seems bigger than this specimen. What do you think?
 @GuateGojira @Shadow 
Now that you guys have seen my comparisons, I hope they made things clearer. I've concluded based on the comparisons with M'bongo and Samson, Guhonda is likely over 570 to 580+lbs (or over 259 to 263 kg). The other males in Guhonda's size range are likely over 550 to 560+lbs (or over 250 to 254 kg). I'm normally not a fan of estimations, but I do have confidence in them when we include comparisons. Anyway, i just wanted to say what I didn't get to say in the other posts, I hope everything is clearer now.

I think, that it´s clear. We have for all animals confirmed weights and then some unconfirmed or estimations. Nothing wrong in discussing about these things, when keeping it clear when talking about confirmed cases and unconfirmed or what is estimated to be possible. I hope, that one day scientists would be able to get weighed one really big one again if some good reason like medical treatment would offer such possibility. Otherwise I hope, that people let gorillas live in peace and mind their own business.
@Shadow
Ok then. It's a good thing i had gorillas to compare Guhonda with, otherwise this would've been pretty difficult, but at least we are able to see their size range thanks to this. I'm pretty satisfied with my estimations here, do they look alright to you too?
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Finland Shadow Offline
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(12-01-2019, 04:47 PM)The Panther Wrote:
(12-01-2019, 04:12 PM)Shadow Wrote:
(12-01-2019, 03:51 PM)The Panther Wrote:
(10-01-2019, 08:18 PM)GuateGojira Wrote: Check the image of the record gorilla (based on weight):

*This image is copyright of its original author


Wood do not quote its height probably because that gorilla doesn't look like one of 198 cm in height. Probably it was about the same height than the Commander Gatti.

The figure of 206 cm tall of Carwardine is incorrect.

I think that the modern silverbacks like Guhonda seems bigger than this specimen. What do you think?
 @GuateGojira @Shadow 
Now that you guys have seen my comparisons, I hope they made things clearer. I've concluded based on the comparisons with M'bongo and Samson, Guhonda is likely over 570 to 580+lbs (or over 259 to 263 kg). The other males in Guhonda's size range are likely over 550 to 560+lbs (or over 250 to 254 kg). I'm normally not a fan of estimations, but I do have confidence in them when we include comparisons. Anyway, i just wanted to say what I didn't get to say in the other posts, I hope everything is clearer now.

I think, that it´s clear. We have for all animals confirmed weights and then some unconfirmed or estimations. Nothing wrong in discussing about these things, when keeping it clear when talking about confirmed cases and unconfirmed or what is estimated to be possible. I hope, that one day scientists would be able to get weighed one really big one again if some good reason like medical treatment would offer such possibility. Otherwise I hope, that people let gorillas live in peace and mind their own business.
@Shadow
Ok then. It's a good thing i had gorillas to compare Guhonda with, otherwise this would've been pretty difficult, but at least we are able to see their size range thanks to this. I'm pretty satisfied with my estimations here, do they look alright to you too?

What you estimate seems to me quite possible. We know from captivity, that some gorillas have been much more. And some gorillas in wild live in excellent conditions with a lot of food too. So some older gorilla getting some extra weight, I don´t see any reason why not.
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United Kingdom Spalea Offline
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Pictures and video from a chimpanzees sanctuary in Sierra Leone:








" Chimpanzees often embrace to provide a sense of comfort to one another and to support social bonds. They are a highly social species and need socialisation with each other in order to be healthy and happy! Pictured hugging is Fifo (left) and Ceasar. " :

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United Kingdom Spalea Offline
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I believe this photo has already been posted, but since you spoke about huge gorillas:



" Meet Isabukuru, a protected Gorilla in Rwanda. Behind him is Veronica, @savinggorillas Gorilla Program Senior Advisor. "
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The Panther Offline
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( This post was last modified: 12-05-2019, 01:14 PM by The Panther )

Huge dominant silverback and his group. Bwindi Impenetrable national park, Uganda.

*This image is copyright of its original author
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United Kingdom Sully Offline
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( This post was last modified: 12-09-2019, 01:13 AM by Sully )

On #383 That's forced perspective to the extreme to be fair, no way to tell if he's actually bigger than normal or not
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United States Pckts Offline
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The Panther Offline
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( This post was last modified: 12-15-2019, 03:22 PM by The Panther )

(11-25-2019, 12:44 PM)johnny rex Wrote:
(11-25-2019, 05:36 AM)The Panther Wrote:
(11-09-2019, 12:56 PM)johnny rex Wrote:
(11-08-2019, 03:02 PM)The Panther Wrote: Samson the gorilla. He's one of if not the heaviest gorilla on record, he weighed in at 652 lbs or 296 kg. He died at age 32 and lost a 146 lbs or about 66 kg before that.

*This image is copyright of its original author



*This image is copyright of its original author



*This image is copyright of its original author

@Shadow @GuateGojira 
I wonder how the biggest eastern gorillas like Guhonda compare to him, because they're extremely large themselves. Although i do still think he was a good amount heavier, the real question is how much heavier? Because they do look similar in build, albeit less flabby compared to him.

This might be a good comparison 

*This image is copyright of its original author


Guhonda. If the pic doesn't show up, then the link is here just in case, then zoom in once you're in.

*This image is copyright of its original author
 http://www.igcp.org/wp-content/uploads/Gihishamwutsi.JPG

Here's another pic of Guhonda 

*This image is copyright of its original author

So you can see a similar build despite how flabby Samson was. I do believe there could be only 46 kg (about 100 lbs) to 34 kg (75 lbs) difference between Samson and the biggest Eastern gorillas, with Guhonda probably being closer to the latter, because he does seem slightly bigger than the other really large males.

I'm not a big fan of estimations, but i do prefer estimations with comparisons.

Samson is a very obese captive Western silverback gorilla. I think Guhonda is a little bit heavier, because usually Eastern gorillas exceeded Western gorillas in body dimensions excluding weight. Although in general the Eastern gorillas are also heavier. I can't see the second last picture though.
@johnny rex
What are your thoughts on my second comparison with Guhonda and the 602 lbs M'bongo (the weight in the picture)? Even though 652 lbs Samson was similar in build to the largest Eastern gorillas (though a lot more flabby), M'bongo and the largest Eastern gorillas look a lot more close in weight.

Keep in mind, both the captive Eastern lowland gorillas M'bongo and Ngagi (his brother Ngagi was huge too. It was said Ngagi is muscular while M'bongo is a little bit flabbier) were younger than Samson and they already almost reaching Samson's weight despite younger than Samson. M'bongo and Ngagi also died at younger age compared to Samson. If they lived long enough, I think both of them will get much bigger than Samson. Yes, Samson's build is much closer to Eastern gorilla's build which is unusual for a Western gorilla as most Western gorillas are slimmer and gracile in build compared to Eastern gorillas.

Guhonda could be close to M'bongo's weight. If both have similar body dimensions including height, hip circumference, chest circumference, etc. Guhonda could be similar in size to M'bongo.
@johnny rex
I was just wondering what your thoughts were on my #378 estimations? Because you do seem like you know your stuff.
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johnny rex Offline
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(12-15-2019, 03:20 PM)The Panther Wrote:
(11-25-2019, 12:44 PM)johnny rex Wrote:
(11-25-2019, 05:36 AM)The Panther Wrote:
(11-09-2019, 12:56 PM)johnny rex Wrote:
(11-08-2019, 03:02 PM)The Panther Wrote: Samson the gorilla. He's one of if not the heaviest gorilla on record, he weighed in at 652 lbs or 296 kg. He died at age 32 and lost a 146 lbs or about 66 kg before that.

*This image is copyright of its original author



*This image is copyright of its original author



*This image is copyright of its original author

@Shadow @GuateGojira 
I wonder how the biggest eastern gorillas like Guhonda compare to him, because they're extremely large themselves. Although i do still think he was a good amount heavier, the real question is how much heavier? Because they do look similar in build, albeit less flabby compared to him.

This might be a good comparison 

*This image is copyright of its original author


Guhonda. If the pic doesn't show up, then the link is here just in case, then zoom in once you're in.

*This image is copyright of its original author
 http://www.igcp.org/wp-content/uploads/Gihishamwutsi.JPG

Here's another pic of Guhonda 

*This image is copyright of its original author

So you can see a similar build despite how flabby Samson was. I do believe there could be only 46 kg (about 100 lbs) to 34 kg (75 lbs) difference between Samson and the biggest Eastern gorillas, with Guhonda probably being closer to the latter, because he does seem slightly bigger than the other really large males.

I'm not a big fan of estimations, but i do prefer estimations with comparisons.

Samson is a very obese captive Western silverback gorilla. I think Guhonda is a little bit heavier, because usually Eastern gorillas exceeded Western gorillas in body dimensions excluding weight. Although in general the Eastern gorillas are also heavier. I can't see the second last picture though.
@johnny rex
What are your thoughts on my second comparison with Guhonda and the 602 lbs M'bongo (the weight in the picture)? Even though 652 lbs Samson was similar in build to the largest Eastern gorillas (though a lot more flabby), M'bongo and the largest Eastern gorillas look a lot more close in weight.

Keep in mind, both the captive Eastern lowland gorillas M'bongo and Ngagi (his brother Ngagi was huge too. It was said Ngagi is muscular while M'bongo is a little bit flabbier) were younger than Samson and they already almost reaching Samson's weight despite younger than Samson. M'bongo and Ngagi also died at younger age compared to Samson. If they lived long enough, I think both of them will get much bigger than Samson. Yes, Samson's build is much closer to Eastern gorilla's build which is unusual for a Western gorilla as most Western gorillas are slimmer and gracile in build compared to Eastern gorillas.

Guhonda could be close to M'bongo's weight. If both have similar body dimensions including height, hip circumference, chest circumference, etc. Guhonda could be similar in size to M'bongo.
@johnny rex
I was just wondering what your thoughts were on my #378 estimations? Because you do seem like you know your stuff.

Not really, I just making guesstimations. If Guhonda's physical/skeletal frame is larger than Samson's, Guhonda could be in the 580-600+ lbs range. Have you seen the picture of Samson's skeleton? His skeleton is very robust. I'll post the picture if I find it.
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johnny rex Offline
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Samson's skeleton. Note the robust humerus and femur. The skull seems robust too. 

   

   
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Finland Shadow Offline
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( This post was last modified: 12-15-2019, 03:53 PM by Shadow )

(12-09-2019, 01:13 AM)Sully Wrote: On #383 That's forced perspective to the extreme to be fair, no way to tell if he's actually bigger than normal or not

Yes, that photo is typical example how some animal can be made to look like much bigger than it is in reality. When people keep in mind, that gorillas are in average around 170 cm tall when standing, it´s easy to notice when something is not right in the photo. But of course, when a woman stands 5-20 meters behind a sitting gorilla, gorilla looks like to be huge. Put there an average male brown bear next to that gorilla and suddenly that "huge" gorilla looks like a child :)
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