The Great Apes

[Shadow]

(01-16-2020, 10:11 AM)The Panther Wrote:

(01-16-2020, 03:42 AM)Shadow Wrote: I wrote to Virunga Park in Congo and asked if they have some recent information about weights/sizes of gorillas.

Here is one quote:

"About all the questions you have asked, we do not have recent research done yet but what i have seen my self as a silver back gorilla, it was weighing 199 kgs, according to the research that was recently conducted by then on the same gorilla, it was indeed huge and its height am not sure, but it was not tall, what i know it was huge huge and huge. "


I might get some more information tomorrow at some time if lucky, but when I told about it, that participating to discussions about gorillas, I was asked to share this also here:


"Since you discuss a lot about life style of gorillas, add this issue on your table for further discussion https://www.virungaparkcongo.com/information/why-are-gorillas-poached/

You can actually share the link with your friends, people living nearby the park, have remained hostile to the gorillas, i really don't know what do to these people;"


That problem reminded me about this video, it´s 10 years old but how much is changed really in that time....

That's interesting. Did they say his name and how old he was? Because old silverbacks are generally the largest silverbacks, and I don't think I've ever heard of an old established silverback ever being sedated for research or even medication, likely due to them normally having large groups around them at all times, though straying females or younger gorillas (including blackback males) seem fair game. Solitary silverbacks are the most likely to be sedated, they're normally the least established silverbacks of the park, with few exceptions.

And of course 199 kg is indeed a large animal in general especially compared to a normal human, but I don't think it represents anywhere near the largest of Eastern gorillas, which are normally old males. Old males are in the minority, due to how long they lived, so it's quite likely their weights have never been taken in the Virungas, Bwindi or Kahuzi Biega. They are proof of just how big an Eastern gorilla gets if it lives long enough. The most likely candidates of these measurements are males in their 20's or younger, due to how common they are and the more likely chances of them being solitary. Their late 20's is likely when they start getting really big, but that's if they live to their late 20's, let alone 48 years of age like the big Guhonda male.

So age is really important when talking about Eastern gorilla sizes. Western gorillas however seem to have a more constant size range regardless of age group and are generally smaller than Eastern gorillas.

I asked about biggest gorillas they know and I mentioned for instance Guhonda. And I asked if they have any weights and also if they have some educated guesses from professional people who are there working with these gorillas.

That first reply wasn´t surprising, because 199 kg gorilla has to be huge, all available and reliable information after all give average weights clearly under 200 kg for males. Since estimations here have been lately much more than known biggest reliable weights, I thought that it´s good to ask from people who should know and maybe get something better than estimations from photos. Which is after all very unreliable way to make estimations, it´s like lottery. I´m sure, that if showing certain photos of for instance tigers, which weight under 200 kg and showing to people who don´t know which tiger, they would give estimations like 250-300 kg. Just because they can look from certain angles absolutely massive. 

Anyway I might get more information today, the person who replied said, that trying to find out more this morning from other people working there. Reply