The Western Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla)! More than just a silly scientific namesake, these incredible apes have long captured us human’s fascination since their discovery! Their huge and imposing figure, combined with their similarities to ourselves, inspire awe and public wonder! Like us, different groups of Gorilla enjoy varying diets of different greens and grubs (suggesting evidence of different food cultures)! Groups are headed by a dominant Silverback, an old and powerful male defined by a large (and generally brown) head crest and that iconic silver back (which is actually just the hairs beginning to gray from aging, just like us). Unfortunately, these animals are critically endangered, mostly due to deforestation and poaching. They are also often victim to blatant and shameless anthropomorphization, which can lead to a misunderstanding of how these amazing creatures work and how they should actually be treated. Koko was a prime example of this; Gorillas rely on mostly body language to communicate and cannot learn to sign. Any and all communication by her was just interpretation from keepers and media editing (if Koko’s climate address didn’t already tip you off). Sorry to burst anyone’s bubble here, but don’t worry! They’re still amazingly intelligent creatures! I just think it’s a bit silly to believe that these animals always had the capacity for complex grammatical language in the wild and just never figured it out until us humans came around to educate them on how to use it, is all.
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