Gorilla Communication
Just like humans who these they share almost 98% DNA, gorillas communicate through a variety of methods including body pastures, facial expression and vocalization. Gorillas have displayed significant intelligence and those in captivity have even learned simle human sign language.
Primatologists have observed mountain gorillas use 16 different types of communication calls. The mountain gorillas use short barks when it’s mildy alarmed or curious. To intimidate their rivals, male gorilla strut with stiff legs, beat their chests, and use vocalizations like hoots or roars.
Scientifically known as Gorilla bringei beringei, mountain gorillas are a subspecies of the eastern gorilla only found in the East and Central Africa. These gentle giant are the biggest living primates, larger, more powerful and have thicker, longer fur than other gorilla species, which allows them to survive only in harsh environments at high altitudes and extreme cold.
Mountain Gorilla are the most threatened race to extinction and the only gorilla species found in East Africa – Uganda, Rwanda and DR.Congo. Uganda hosts over half of the world’s mountain gorillas. Mountain gorillas live in two populations that is one in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and the second population in Virunga Conservation Area comprising of Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda, Virunga National Park in DR.Congo and Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.
Though mountain gorillas are 98% genetically similar to humans, they are yet to have developed the necessary immunity to common human diseases, making then vulnerable to human illnesses.
With only 1,100 mountain gorillas surviving in the wild, mountain gorillas are still endangered. As far as we know, there are no mountain gorillas in captivity. Protecting these great apes in their natural habitat is the only way to ensure their survival. Officially, mountain gorillas are classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Their status was changed from Critically Endangered in 2018 after years of concerted conservation efforts had helped to achieve a significant increase in the global mountain gorilla population.
Communicating Dominance
To communicate dominance, gorillas use a variety of behaviors and vocalizations. It can be as subtle as slightly moving out of the way of a dominant individual as he/she approaches, to an appeasement vocalization, which is often accompanied by a submissive posture like crouching, to a full-fledged display that includes through vegetation, chest beating, strut stances and even aggressive behavior like hitting or kicking.
Play Face
In gorillas, facial expressions can say it. Just like how you may be able to read a person’s mood by their expressions, sometimes you are able to with gorillas as well as other apes. One common and distinctive expression is the play face.
Place face consists of an open mouth with low hanging bottom lip and no teeth showing. Juveniles are the most common individuals to display the place face. This facial expressions is often paired with the gorilla equivalent of laughter.
Smiling and Yawning
Occasionally you may see gorilla communicate in a couple of different ways by showing their teeth. One being “bared – teeth”, where the mouth is open and both rows of teeth are showing. This is a sign of submission or appeasement and is thought to be tied to the origns of human smiling.
Gorillas, particularly males may also reveal their teeth through yawns. Yawning is thought to occur in context where males are distressed or anxious and could serve as a warning sign and display of dominance.
Vocalizations
Gorillas have many different vocalizations to communicate alarm, aggression, distress, contentment, and distress as well as group coordination. One of the most frequent vocalizations is the belch, which is used to convey a sense of contentment between individuals.
Also, gorillas hum or sing, this usually occurs content of finding a highly preferred food and usually involves several individuals or the whole group doing at the same time.
Chest Beat
A chest beat in gorillas can have multiple meanings, the most well-known being in times of aggression in males (silverbacks). This method of communication is done by beating the chest with open palms, males have large air sacs located in their chests, which helps carry the sound over distances.
Also, chest beats are common in young gorillas, who do it while they are playing.
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