The Great Apes

[Shadow]

(10-20-2018, 01:49 PM)brotherbear Wrote: I understand that leopards are predators while gorillas are vegetarian and normally quiet and peaceful. I understand also that among the big cats of Asia and Africa, it is the leopard that more heavily preys on primates. But, for a leopard, a silverback gorilla should be easy to catch and easy to ambush. There is a lot of meat on a bull gorilla. Since there are not a large number of  adult male gorilla remains found from leopard predation, I would assume that a leopard considers him to be risky prey. 
I will add, a bull gorilla's response to an intruder is a buff charge. Not to scurry up a tree. The leopard is the only natural predator that a gorilla has, therefore the bluff charge is probably an adaptation primarily directed to the leopard. I have no idea what lived in the Congo during the Pleistocene.

As far as I have looked about these animals, my own conclusion is, that when leopard hunt gorillas, it of course looks for the easiest target there, so it is naturally a young one. I think, that we have to remember to separate two things when we are talking about animals. One is, that what they do normally and most probably. Second is, that what they are capable to do when situation for some reason demands it. Then again remembering that, that when animal is doing something, what it is capable to do, for some compulsory reason, are there risks?

I mean this, tiger is capable to attack a bear, also adult ones. Even male brown bear if it have to. Then again even though it is capable to do it, also to kill it, is it without risk? Absolutely not. That is why when we look for instance Amur tiger and brown bears, vast majority of killed bears are either females or young males/cubs, not adult males. Attacking adult male, tiger in a way "dives in deep water" and no idea if able to surface again. Same thing when we are looking at cases where bears have killed tigers. So yes, they are without a doubt capable to do something, still they don´t do that. So it is not probable and not normal thing to happen. Same thing for instance with lion and cape buffalo. A single male lion has proved, that it can kill even alone a buffalo. But then again is it normal thing to happen and something what people going to safari could wait to see as a probable thing.... not even close to that.

These animals are not there to prove anything to us, they are there to get food. Multiple reasons can affect to their behavior in different situations. Male gorilla is a formidable creature to hunt for a leopard, it is so big, that it brings some natural respect from predator. From these cases what have been found, only case where it is proven, that attack was.... should I say "full frontal" was that case in the zoo. But that is unnatural place for a wild animal, so in that way it has no value (for me) in any other way, but proving what enraged panther/leopard is capable to do. In wilderness it is hard to imagine, that leopard would just walk there, revealing where it is, before making attack. Even if "specialized" individual to kill apes. Big cats everywhere make attacks after sneaking close to prey and revealing themselves only when actual attack happens, giving to prey only a split second time to react.

This latest case with silverback, what I found, was told to be most probably attack at night to nest. I have read same kind of observations from Baumgartel, in cases, where male gorillas were killed. It looks like leopards have quite good skills and understanding how to kill a gorilla with minimal risk. At least some individuals seem to have that kind of skills. Like some lion prides kill more certain kind of prey than others.

If looking closer and trying to find cases in which leopard would have made an attack to a gorilla at time, when they are awake, the number seems to be significantly smaller compared to night time hunting. Night time gives to leopard also benefit what comes to sense of sight. When combining that "night vision" to agility of a leopard, it is no wonder, that it is able to sneak close to gorillas so, that they have no clue what happens before too late. Suddenly there is screaming and roaring and before gorillas have time to take defence formation, it is already all over for one of them. Leopard gone in all that chaos. For me that makes sense. A leopard going for specifically the biggest possible male gorilla, without some surprise element, just is not the way they do it. So has it ever happened, I think that some lone silverback has payed the price to be overconfident or sloppy. Same could have happened to some leopard in such case.

A lot of speculation there from me, but I have tried to do that based on known facts. For me those facts have formed a picture of hunting in darkness. Day time happens, but it is way more difficult for a leopard. What comes to adult male gorillas killed. It looks like many have been killed, but most of them with a very limited possibility for a "fair fight" if we look it from point of view like it would be sports. I think, that leopard keeps that kind of action "fair enough" because it is there to eat, not to prove us something. 

Maybe that happens mostly when there is less some other more normal prey for a leopard? I have no idea if anyone have researched about this. I think, that for instance Schaller had observations, that many times leopards just passed gorillas with no interest and long periods of times with no gorillas predated by leopards. Reply