Language
Country/Area
No result found
Chimpanzees' Closest Relatives: Why Are Gorillas So Similar to Humans?
Gorillas, giant apes that are mainly herbivorous and live mainly in the tropical forests of equatorial Africa, have a surprising blood relationship with humans. Studies have shown that the DNA of gorillas is 95% to 99% similar to that of humans, making them humans' closest relatives after chimpanzees. They are huge in size, ranging from 1.25 to 1.8 meters in height and weighing approximately 100 to 270 kilograms. The arm span of a gorilla can even reach 2.6 meters. Such data makes us wonder what similarities there are between them and us?
Gorillas are the largest living great apes and live in a variety of habitats, from lowland forests to alpine cloud forests.
Evolution and classification of gorillas
Today, gorillas are divided into two main species: the Eastern gorilla and the Western gorilla. There are still similarities between the two species, both in their habitat and their numbers. Their evolutionary history dates back about 7 million years ago, when gorillas split from the common ancestor of chimpanzees and humans. This makes gorillas a compelling branch of our evolutionary tree, providing a window into humans ourselves.
Life habits of gorillas
Gorillas typically live in "groups" led by an adult male (called a silverback) who lives with multiple females and their cubs. Such a social structure not only helps to enhance its protective function, but also provides security for all members. However, the silverback's status is not absolute; their lifespan is affected by competition and changes within the population, which is also related to their physical condition.
Silverbacks serve as leaders within the pack, mediating conflicts, selecting food sources, and ensuring the overall safety of the pack.
Diet and Ecology
Gorillas' diet is primarily plant-based, consisting of leaves, stems, and other diverse tropical plants. Although they are also herbivorous, mountain gorillas mainly eat leaves and stems and rarely eat fruits. In contrast, the diet of lowland gorillas is more diverse, and fruits occupy an important position in their diet.
Reproduction and parent-child relationships
Gorillas have a relatively unique reproductive cycle, with females maturing at 10 to 12 years of age and typically giving birth to a cub every four years. The cub is completely dependent on its mother for survival during the early stages of its life, and the mother will remain in close contact with her cub during this period to ensure its safety. Silverbacks are quite important in protecting their pups, and although their primary role does not involve parenting, they help socialize the pups with other members of the pack.
Gorilla infants typically bond closely to their mothers, a relationship that is crucial in their early years of development.
Interactions with other species
In nature, ground mammals also coexist with other apes, such as chimpanzees. When food is plentiful, gorillas and chimpanzees sometimes find themselves on similar diets to each other, but in environments where food is scarce, gorillas tend to rely more heavily on plants. This symbiotic relationship makes them ecologically very important.
Conservation and Challenges
Although gorilla populations are still maintained in the wild, they face a variety of threats to their survival, including poaching, habitat destruction and disease, which pose a major challenge to their survival. According to the assessment of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), all gorillas are clasificated as "critically endangered" and only mountain gorillas are "endangered", which makes the concoction of measures more urgent.
Current conservation efforts are showing progress in some areas, which gives people hope. In the future, we should continue to pay attention to these highly intelligent creatures and work hard to protect their living environment, because their fate is closely related to ours. In this case, have you ever thought about what we can do for these magnificent creatures?
