Western gorilla space use suggests territoriality

Western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) change their activity patterns in response to frugivory.

The most important environmental factor explaining interspecies variation in ecology and sociality of the great apes is likely to be variation in resource availability. Relatively little is known about the activity patterns of western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), which inhabit a dramatically different environment from the well-studied mountain gorillas (G. beringei beringei). Thi...

Effects of selected behavioral enrichment devices on behavior of Western Lowland Gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla).

Environmental complexity plays an integral role in the activity and psychological well-being of primates. The experiment described in this article evaluates the effects of nonintrusive, inexpensive, and easily managed behavioral enrichment devices on the behavior of a group of captive Western lowland gorillas. Devices used included cardboard boxes containing food items, paper bags containing fo...

Interunit, environmental and interspecific influences on silverback-group dynamics in western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)

Sex differences in play among western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) infants: implications for adult behavior and social structure.

Mammalian play is believed to improve motor skills as well as facilitate the development of social relationships. Given the marked sexual dimorphism in gorilla body size and the role assumed by the male in protecting the group from conspecifics and predators, the motor-training hypothesis of play predicts that male infants should exhibit higher frequencies of social play than female infants, an...

Endoparasites of western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) at Bai Hokou, Central African Republic.

A coprologic study of free-ranging western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) at Bai Hokou, Dzangha-Ndoki National Park, Central African Republic (2 degrees 51'34''N, 16 degrees 28'03''E) was conducted from October 1999 to November 2000. All 75 fecal samples examined were positive for endoparasites, and each contained at least two species. Parasites present included two genera of amoeba...