The Great Apes

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Nelis Wolmarans: " One of my favorite images from a visit to @lwiro_primates sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of Congo... "

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Subhash Nair: " The helping hands! - Orangutans from Borneo. "

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Nelis Wolmarans: " Feeding time for this big Silverback. Adults are able to consume as much as 18 to 20 kilograms of vegetation each day per animal and therefore the majority of their day is spent feeding... "

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David Lloyd: " A Meeting with the Boss. Bwindi 2018 "

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[The Panther]

Big Chimanuka  and his kids.

*This image is copyright of its original author

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[Shadow]

(02-22-2020, 09:41 PM)ragelion Wrote: Gorilla killing a leopard

*This image is copyright of its original author

This picture is interesting because all reliable sources (people like Baumgartel, Schaller and some other people researching gorillas) have found out only cases in which leopards have killed gorillas and also several silverbacks. This picture looks like something in fictive books like Tarzan, which don´t need to be realistic. Gorillas are known to be afraid of leopards because leopard is only natural predator of gorilla in those areas where gorillas live. Only in one case it´s observed a fight between silverback gorilla and a leopard so, that both died to injuries. In all other known confrontations leopards killed gorillas.

But of course people can draw pictures in order to show how things would happen in their imagination, that is what artistic freedom is all about, I guess. But if someone would find a real case like this, that would be something new. Reply

[Spalea]

Nili Gudhka: " Eyes of Innocence. "

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[Astroboy]

(04-22-2014, 12:42 PM)GuateGojira Wrote: Check the original document image:

*This image is copyright of its original author

It is say that measured 7 ft high and about 200 kg, however I doubt all the figures, specially the height, which sounds very exaggerated. In a next post I will explain why this height is just an exaggeration.
 

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The body mass of the Gorilla
How many times we have heard of wild gorillas weighing up to 272 kg or even 350 kg? These figures are even quoted in “Walker’s Mammals of the World”, which is still considered as the main database for mammals. But, are these figures reliable? The answer is NO.
 
Check this figures, they state that the heaviest wild gorilla was a male of 219 kg. However, other sources state a new weight of 220 kg for a silverback captured recently. Even then, other two sources claim that the heaviest was one of 210 kg. Read the data and judge by yourselves.
 
Up to 219 kg:

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

 
Up to 220 kg:

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

 
Up to 210 kg:

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

 
One of 204 kg, not claimed as “heaviest”, but still interesting:

*This image is copyright of its original author

 
Average figures – real wild specimens, no estimations:

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

 
In conclusion, the body masses of up to 230 kg are from captive specimens or from unreliable sources, the upper figure is about 220 kg, but normally large silverbacks are no more than 180 kg.
 

---

The height of the Gorilla
About the height, this picture show a male of apparently 7 ft (213 cm) in height and about a quarter of tone (200 kg), however Guinness (first image of the topic) state that the tallest male reliably recorded was of 6 ft 5 in (195 cm).

*This image is copyright of its original author

Did you think that this gorilla is of over 200 cm in height??? I think NOT.
 
Finally, here are the body measurements from scientific literature:

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

 
Based in all this data, I can conclude that the maximum size for an exceptional silverback gorilla is of up to 196 cm in standing height and 219 kg in body mass. However, an average male (including “black” backs) is around 150-170 kg and a height of about 170 cm, which is the about the same height than an average human (Homo sapiens sapiens), although much more massive.
 

 

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Largest Gorilla ever
Here is an image comparison showing the average size of the largest gorilla subspecies and the largest specimen recorded, compared with a 175 cm modern human (which is my actual height):

*This image is copyright of its original author

 The maximum weight that I choose is that of 219 kg, because I am not quite sure about the figure of 220 kg. About the shoulder height, 6 ft 5 in gives a result of 1956 mm which translates better to 196 cm (not 195), so I use that figure. Both figures are in the book of Animal records, so I quote it as reference.
 
If you like it, save it and use it.
 
Greetings. The record Guinness
Here are the full pages about the gorilla in the great book of animal records of Gerald Wood (1978):
[img]http://i.imgur.com/PaiRTsJ.png" class="lozad max-img-size" alt="" title="">

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

Pages 55 and 58 are just photograps of other animals. Enjoy the reading. [img]images/smilies/smile.gif[/img]
 

Hi, know you've done all the other size comparisons of felines and other animals but i researched and could not find and size comparisons of the great apes. I ask kindly with a good heart if you could make a comparison of the great apes please or just the gorillas, thats even fine please Reply

[Borya]

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

*This image is copyright of its original author

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

*This image is copyright of its original author

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

[Shadow]

(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

*This image is copyright of its original author

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

*This image is copyright of its original author

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

Same Schaller has reported only known case in which a silverback gorilla and leopard fought so, that both died. Is that last case the same maybe? If not, then that would be only case so far in which a gorilla would have won such confrontation. There are after all several cases in which leopards have killed silverbacks. Not like all the time, but 5-6 at least. You can find those posted here before.

What comes to animal strength, it´s clear  that a big primate weighing 150-200 kg is strong. Another thing is how strong. What Schaller describes there doesn´t sound so extraordinary. Lions, tigers and bears all can be said to have strength of several men, they are all big and very strong animals and I´m quite sure that even stronger than gorillas because they are bigger. Some latest studies also indicate to that direction.

But I have to look closer that link concerning Schaller, because that is most probably the same case which is described in other places too and he tells himself, that both animals were found dead from wounds inflicted by each others. Reply

[Shadow]

(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

*This image is copyright of its original author

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

*This image is copyright of its original author

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

Actually that book doesn´t look like to be the most reliable source. Looks like author has wanted to put some "colour" to things and make an entertaining book. So he "forgot" to mention, that also that gorilla was dead. And if I remember right, no-one didn´t actually see how fight started, but these two animals were found dead and what happened was figured out from traces, wounds etc. That case is mentioned in books, which Schaller has written himself and are far more reliable because of it. Sensationalists then again have this funny thing, that they "forget" something and put some extra to things in order to sell more books. Reply

[bruin]

Quote from Astroboy: 
Hi, know you've done all the other size comparisons of felines and other animals but i researched and could not find and size comparisons of the great apes. I ask kindly with a good heart if you could make a comparison of the great apes please or just the gorillas, thats even fine please.
 
I second this request. All of the great apes please.  Reply

[Astroboy]

(04-22-2014, 12:42 PM)GuateGojira Wrote: Check the original document image:

*This image is copyright of its original author

It is say that measured 7 ft high and about 200 kg, however I doubt all the figures, specially the height, which sounds very exaggerated. In a next post I will explain why this height is just an exaggeration.
 

---

The body mass of the Gorilla
How many times we have heard of wild gorillas weighing up to 272 kg or even 350 kg? These figures are even quoted in “Walker’s Mammals of the World”, which is still considered as the main database for mammals. But, are these figures reliable? The answer is NO.
 
Check this figures, they state that the heaviest wild gorilla was a male of 219 kg. However, other sources state a new weight of 220 kg for a silverback captured recently. Even then, other two sources claim that the heaviest was one of 210 kg. Read the data and judge by yourselves.
 
Up to 219 kg:

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

 
Up to 220 kg:

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

 
Up to 210 kg:

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

 
One of 204 kg, not claimed as “heaviest”, but still interesting:

*This image is copyright of its original author

 
Average figures – real wild specimens, no estimations:

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

 
In conclusion, the body masses of up to 230 kg are from captive specimens or from unreliable sources, the upper figure is about 220 kg, but normally large silverbacks are no more than 180 kg.
 

---

The height of the Gorilla
About the height, this picture show a male of apparently 7 ft (213 cm) in height and about a quarter of tone (200 kg), however Guinness (first image of the topic) state that the tallest male reliably recorded was of 6 ft 5 in (195 cm).

*This image is copyright of its original author

Did you think that this gorilla is of over 200 cm in height??? I think NOT.
 
Finally, here are the body measurements from scientific literature:

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

 
Based in all this data, I can conclude that the maximum size for an exceptional silverback gorilla is of up to 196 cm in standing height and 219 kg in body mass. However, an average male (including “black” backs) is around 150-170 kg and a height of about 170 cm, which is the about the same height than an average human (Homo sapiens sapiens), although much more massive.
 

 

---

Largest Gorilla ever
Here is an image comparison showing the average size of the largest gorilla subspecies and the largest specimen recorded, compared with a 175 cm modern human (which is my actual height):

*This image is copyright of its original author

 The maximum weight that I choose is that of 219 kg, because I am not quite sure about the figure of 220 kg. About the shoulder height, 6 ft 5 in gives a result of 1956 mm which translates better to 196 cm (not 195), so I use that figure. Both figures are in the book of Animal records, so I quote it as reference.
 
If you like it, save it and use it.
 
Greetings. The record Guinness
Here are the full pages about the gorilla in the great book of animal records of Gerald Wood (1978):
[img]http://i.imgur.com/PaiRTsJ.png" class="lozad max-img-size" alt="" title="">

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

Pages 55 and 58 are just photograps of other animals. Enjoy the reading. [img]images/smilies/smile.gif[/img]
 

Please can you do a size comparison of the gorilla species, that includes the eastern lowland gorilla, mountain gorilla and western lowland gorilla. Can you scale them up on grides like how you did for tigers and lions? I would really be thankful for that, I liked all of your size comparisons. You gotta do gorillas! Reply

[Rishi]

(05-16-2020, 10:58 PM)Astrobo Wrote: Please can you do a size comparison of the gorilla species, that includes the eastern lowland gorilla, mountain gorilla and western lowland gorilla. Can you scale them up on grides like how you did for tigers and lions?
I would really be thankful for that, I liked all of your size comparisons. You gotta do gorillas!

Was this made by @GuateGojira?.. I aggree, this needs an update. 

*This image is copyright of its original author

Reply

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Nelis Wolmarans: " @kahuzibiegaparc Help us protect the last population of Grauer’s Gorillas, the largest primate species on earth. Bring back tourism... "

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