The Great Apes

[Tshokwane]

(11-14-2016, 11:35 PM)Pckts Wrote: Wouldn't that also speak to the lack of the species #'s in that region?

Well, yes and no.

It's true in a sense, because there aren't many mountain gorillas, at least not in the species sense.

However, during the last yeras those numbers have been in a steady rise, and now the opposite is happening. There are almost "too many" gorillas relatively to the small amount of space they have to live in, something that has led to many more deaths of dominant silverbacks in intergroups fights, or dominant silverbacks vs lone silverbacks. 

The situation is very similar to what is happening with tigers now, like it happened in Kanha, you know with territories filled with dominant males that eventually a death is going to happen.

Quote:Either way, it's an impressive run. 

I agree completely. 

You know, for them it isn't that much different than for big cats. Not every silverback is fit enough for being the leader. Some males get to be leaders of a group to then finding themselves unable to hold on to that for more than a few months.

All males have this drive to form a group, it's so wired into them that they will try until their last days, but most of them simply aren't able to get there.

And for them, it's more than just about being good fighters. That's an important part, but it's not enough.

A dominant silverback has to be able to look after his entire group, has to be able to led them to proper food sources and at the same time avoinding poachers. He also has to be able to deal with different groups, either trying to have the stamina, the charm and a proper show off base to attract females to his group, or the inverse, to be able to be "enough of a man", so to speak, to convince his females that he's the best they can get so that they don't ditch him off for a rival silverback.

A dominant silverback has to be able to difuse tension between the group's members, and he has to do it often. Females are kind of bitches with each others and, naturally, the younger silverbacks also want a piece of the cake if they can get it (if you know what I mean...).

And finally, children. A good sign of a good dominant silverback is how good of a father is he. Kids are drawn to him in a huge manner, and he has to be extremely patient with them and, should the mother of one die, or as it happens countless time, leave him for a rival, he has to care for that orfan kid, because the rest of the females in his group don't give a damn for that little one.

This is just some of the things that make up what the social life of a silverback is, but it is much more complex than what it seems like, and just as fascinating as the lives of the predators. Reply