The Great Apes

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(05-16-2020, 05:52 PM)Borya Wrote: George Schaller, one of the leading experts gorillas says that a large bull gorilla has the "Strength of several men". A gorilla can rip a branch the size of a person's arm

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Full grown gorillas have few enemies. A silverback gorilla fought an attacking leopard and killed him.

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https://archive.org/details/animalsuperstars00free/page/48/mode/2up

Since this matter, kind of gorilla vs leopard comes up time to time, I quote here my posting from leopard predation thread. Here are 5-6 cases of adult male gorillas killed by leopards, 1 blackback and 4-5 silverbacks. Sometimes I use a bit of time trying to find reliable cases. So far all cases, which seem to be more than hearsay and observed more or less by experts have ended up in death of a gorilla. In one case both died. What comes to that case mentioned to be told by Schaller, it would be really interesting to know to what it´s based on. I mean claim, that Schaller would have said, that some gorilla would have killed a leopard and survived himself. In several places is told about one case in which Schaller went to see a place, where was found a silverback gorilla and a leopard, both dead after obvious fight between them. I haven´t seen him telling anywhere about some other case. Only this one, in which both died.

Gorillas are formidable, but as multiple sources show, they aren´t invincible and leopard is their natural predator. While gorillas are bigger and for sure stronger, it can´t be forgotten, that leopards are evolved to be "natural born killers". What they lose in size, they can compensate with many other things as all predators. We can all think a moment, how much we would "enjoy" when handling an enraged house cat, I have had to do it in some occasions. Then just imagining what it would be if that house cat would be 10 times bigger.... Being stronger doesn´t always mean, that more dangerous in fight Most people would flee without any doubt if any possibility from such encounter. Apes and gorillas can´t put on some very thick gloves and clothing, good to remember, when trying to think how they might feel in presence of a snarling leopard.

For some reason I can´t quote my posting from another thread, but this is copied text of my posting 403 from Leopard predation thread:

I found one study about gorillas, in it is also part about leopard predation:

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/8b15/89dcb59b230c2b1726424a065ecab6e7ca3d.pdf

Name of study:

Interunit, environmental and interspecific influences on silverback-group dynamics in western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) 

Michelle Klailova 

A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Psychology 

University of Stirling February 2011

Quote: 
"Evidence from previous studies suggests that forest leopards may adapt their hunting behaviour to follow individual preferences for particular prey species [Jenny & Zuberbuhler, 2005; Zuberbuhler & Jenny, 2002].

Although the actual level of risk faced by western lowland gorillas as a result of leopard predation is uncertain, evidence is mounting to suggest that they along with other apes are targeted as leopard prey. In the early 1960s, Schaller [1963] confirmed the deaths of 2-3 adult male mountain gorillas due to leopard attack. During a five year period in Taï National Park, Côte d’Ivoire, Boesch [1991] documented nine separate leopard attacks on chimpanzees. Leopard predation was also strongly suspected in the death of a silverback at Mbeli Bai, Republic of Congo, and of a blackback at the Lossi study site, Democratic Republic of Congo [Robbins et al., 2004]. Fay et al., [1995] and Watson [1999] witnessed leopard attacks on adult gorillas at both gorilla habituation study sites (Bai Hokou/Mongambe) in the Dzanga-Sangha Protected Areas Complex, Central African Republic. Furthermore in 1999the Bai Hokou study group’s main silverback was severely injured in an attack which led to his eventual demise. Although the attacking species could not be verified, attempted leopard predation was suspected due to suspicious claw-like markings on the focal adult male’s back [Cipolletta, 2003; Cipolletta pers. comm.]. Additional records at Bai Hokou show that leopards were detected near gorilla groups on three occasions and that their presence affected group ranging patterns [Goldsmith, 1999; Klailova pers. obsv.]. Finally, although scavenging cannot be ruled out, gorilla and chimpanzee remains in leopard faeces have been recorded at various rainforest sites [Fay et al., 1995; Hart et al., 1996; Henschel et al., 2005, 2008; Ososky, 1998; Tutin & Benirschke, 1991].

The slow life histories of gorillas coupled with a growing inventory of suspected and verified predation incidents, suggest that the leopard could be an important cause of mortality in some ape populations [Robbins et al., 2004]. However, due to the cryptic nature of the forest leopard and challenges of western lowland gorilla habituation, it has not been possible to systematically assess leopard predation risks to gorilla groups."


So there is mentioned 5-6 dead adult male gorillas, one blackback and rest silverbacks. Reply