The Great Apes

[Shadow]

(10-14-2018, 05:49 PM)brotherbear Wrote: Yes, chimps will hunt leopards as a gang to try to drive them away. The bull gorilla would face the leopard alone. But for the gorilla its "you leave me alone and I leave you alone." I've never read anything of a gorilla purposely trying to drive out predators. Also I agree that apes are on a leopard's menu. The question would be what percentage?

Gorillas actually gather to group when there is threat. Leader silverback as strongest individual gorilla of the pack is there in the middle as "last defence". Around him are females and young ones. Then some adult males go "out there"  to face the threat and defend the main group. So it is actually organized teamwork, when possible. Male gorilla won´t go there alone to fight unless it is only option. Only if other males can´t handle threat and predator is able to attack through them, then leader fights for sure. Of course in situation which is very surprising, without time to react normally, then a different thing, then also leader might fight in first place if it is forced to do so.

Gorillas are really interesting animals and able to work as a team. Still of course not like humans and natural fear is a factor what we can´t ignore. So when a gorilla is alone or small group, they will flee if possible and fight only if no other option. This is something what has to be remembered, it is a wild animal and leopard has been predating them for who knows how long time. So that fear is for sure in their instincts. 

I don´t know about percentages, but I don´t remember more than one case, where leopard would have been killed by gorilla. But then again Baumgartel tells about cases, where leopards have wiped out all gorillas from large areas. So my best guess is, that leopards use all their advantages there in jungle.

With chimps I have image, that they have killed more leopards, but I still think, that not more than leopards have eaten them. Maybe some young leopard sometimes make wrong estimation and go to big trouble. Also baboons are "hard targets" and leopard can get killed if not able to flee in time. I put here link to video. Watch 0.53 and how leopard moves there. Failing in hunt doesn´t always mean being killed by baboons or chimps. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOWM4U75zx8

That is pretty impressive from leopard and I think, that many people doesn´t know how agile they can be. Think that animal to jungle with gorillas... I mean gorillas are quite good in trees, but I wouldn´t say, that they can beat this big cat there in agility, even though some smaller apes for sure can :) Reply