The Great Apes

[Shadow]

(12-05-2020, 04:52 PM)LeoMan Wrote: I'm not an expert but i want to point out that there is a big difference between "the regular weight" of an animal specimen and the same animal being obese. I think the best comparison to understand this subtle concept is the one involving human beings. If you take a look at the weight of humans you will find 50kgs (110lbs) adult males and you also will find 300kgs (660lbs) adult males. I think everyone can agree that if an outside observer from another planet will one day discuss the weights of humans, it will not come to the conclusion that homo sapiens is a 300kgs animal because there are some people with this weight. Of course a 300kgs man is extremely obese and we are not talking about a natural condition because this man is carrying with him over 200kgs of pure fat. The same story with wild creatures like Gorillas or Panthera members Tigers and Lions, you can probably overfed a Lion in a zoo and get an astronomical weight of 300 or 350 kgs but you will have a regular lion and some fat attached to it, you won't get a different built animal.

I think, that all understand the difference in between obese and fit. You write a bit in same way like @peter did some time ago when discussing about this issue (outside observer from another planet), maybe you have read it?

Anyway humans are maybe only species able to go to real extremes in obesity, some have been over 600 kg (around 1325 lbs). When looking at wild animals, usually there aren´t any grossly obese ones in wild. Some bears in fall can be absolutely huge even when comparing to other bears, then again they are evolved to carry a lot of fat in the end of the year and come up in excellent shape again when winter is  over, something quite unique. What comes to gorillas, it looks like that some old gorillas are able to be somewhat obese in wild too. Their life is overall quite calm, poachers kill some and leopards kill some, but in big picture they don´t need to run too much or move long distances. Old silverback males don´t have too much to worry about.

Captive animals are a different story, practically any animal can be overfed in captivity. Reply