8/28/2023 0 Comments Western lowland gorilla silverback![]() Western lowland gorillas typically reside in groups with one adult dominant male, multiple adult females and their offspring. Gorillas are known for having stable yet competitive social structure. Further, we were able to pair this information with food availability and overall ape distribution across the region.” Benefits and risks of encounters “This enabled us to document a broader range of social interactions between wild western lowland gorilla groups than had previously been documented. “Some of the gorillas born in our focal groups have settled in nearby groups and so are familiar with human observers,” she said. “Many of the researchers and trackers have known these particular gorillas for decades and immediately detected when other groups were in the area by the responses of the focal silverback’s reaction,” Sanz said, using a common descriptor for the dominant male in the gorilla social group. ![]() “One of the advantages that we had going into this study was the expertise of the research teams who conduct daily follows of these gorilla groups and who had spent years earning the trust of these elusive apes that are typically wary of human presence,” said Crickette Sanz, associate professor of biological anthropology in Arts & Sciences. In total, researchers spent more than 2,797 days observing interactions between gorilla groups in the Goualougo Triangle and Mondika, located in the northern Republic of Congo. (Photo: Kyle de Nobrega)īased on years of work following several gorilla groups, the new study paints a more complete picture of the variation in the interactions between neighboring gorilla groups in the forested environment, where western lowland gorillas spend most of their time. Through a long-term collaboration with the Congolese government and Wildlife Conservation Society, research from Washington University is changing perspectives on gorilla behavior, ecology and health - and how these factors interact in a changing world. While mountain gorillas in East Africa have been studied for more than 50 years, relatively little is known about the behavior and social lives of their counterparts in central Africa. “Close encounters between gorilla groups inform their decision making.” Broader range of interaction ![]() ![]() “Females born within the group will eventually leave to join a different group to avoid inbreeding and should be selective about which male’s group they choose,” she said. “They provide a way to gain information about the power of dominant males in neighboring groups and their support systems and also about potential reproductive opportunities. “Interactions with other groups are critical for wild gorillas,” said Kristena Cooksey, a graduate student of biological anthropology in Arts & Sciences and first author of the new study. The study is published in the International Journal of Primatology. While members of different groups were observed engaging in direct competition, gorillas from different groups also engaged in friendly interactions such as play. Louis shows that encounters between gorilla groups were much more frequent, and that they had more varied social exchanges than expected.įurther, these interactions seemed to be driven more by defense of mates than food resources. New research led by anthropologists at Washington University in St. ![]() The social life of gorillas is much more dynamic than previously thought, particularly with regard to interactions between neighboring groups. ![]()
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