![]() Whenever the gorillas see us coming by with our training buckets, we often hear a lot of excited grumbles! It is very rewarding to work with these magnificent animals and to have the opportunity to bond with them and gain their trust through these interactions. Every time they do a correct behavior, they receive positive reinforcement in the form of a favorite food-usually fruit or mixed nuts. Browse Getty Images premium collection of high-quality, authentic Gorilla Silverback stock photos, royalty-free images, and pictures. Participation in these training sessions is always voluntary, but the gorillas seem to enjoy interacting with us. (For safety reasons, we never share a space with our gorillas.) Gorillas are the largest living primates, reaching heights between 1.25 and 1.8 metres, weights between 100 and 270 kg, and arm spans up to 2.6 metres, depending on species and sex. By learning these behaviors, the gorillas can voluntarily participate in their healthcare, thereby lessening the need to put them under anesthesia for routine procedures. ![]() Or, they may present their arm so we can practice injection or blood draw training with a blunted needle. For example, they may place an ear against the mesh so we can take their temperature with a thermometer. Using verbal cues and hand signals, we ask our apes to present their body parts. Over two decades later, hes a strong, huge silverback gorilla, the leader of. In the early afternoon, we conduct husbandry training sessions with each of our western lowland gorillas. Adorable photos show Bobo, a silverback gorilla who lives at Ape. After nibbling on greens, browse and alfalfa hay, they lay down around 1 p.m. Even though they are four times as strong as a human and can bend an iron. These amazing animals are not violent or aggressive most of the time, in fact, they are quite shy. Hippos are the third largest land mammal, averaging between 3,000 to 4,000 lbs. Size is one of the most important factors in a fight between two animals, and a common hippopotamus is much larger than even the largest gorillas. In the size category, they win over gorillas. It is a way of describing adult, male gorillas that from 12 years old, develop a silver section of hair over their back and hips. Hippos are highly aggressive and unpredictable. Their wild cousins eat wild celery, stems, bamboo shoots, fruits and tree pulp.Īfter the gorillas have scrounged up the last scraps of food in the yard, Calaya-our 19-year-old female and mother to Moke-usually rounds up the troop and encourages everyone to go inside for the evening. Silverback is not the name of a subspecies. Here at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, our gorillas eat a varied diet made up of browse (fresh tree trimmings), leafy greens, vegetables and fruits that are prepared by our wonderful Nutrition Science team. All this talk of food may have you wondering-what exactly do gorillas eat?Īdult male gorillas can eat upwards of 45 pounds of food a day adult females eat about two-thirds that amount. It’s lunchtime, and the troop travels back outside for yet another forage.
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