[Animals] What is the real reason gorillas beat their chests?

[#Steeven.™]

Until now it was known that they did it to transmit information, although it was not known specifically of what type.

Among the most emblematic sounds of the animal kingdom are definitely the chest blows of mountain gorillas. Until now it was known that this action was carried out with the aim of transmitting information, although it was not specifically known what type of information, it is indicated in a publication on the Europa Press website.

However, a recent study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, indicates that these great apes can transmit data about their body size and allow the identification of individuals. Elaborate analyzes show that non-vocal behaviors can contribute to mountain gorilla communication.

Researcher Edward Wright of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany and his colleagues observed and recorded 25 adult and wild silverback gorillas, monitored by the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in the Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda. , between January 2014 and July 2016.

The size of the body of these was determined from photographs, measuring the distance between the shoulder blades of the gorillas. Using sound recordings, the authors measured the duration, number, and audio frequencies of 36 chest strokes made by six of the males.

The collected material allowed them to identify that the audio frequencies of the breast strokes made by the larger males were significantly lower than those of the smaller males. According to the authors, larger males may have larger air sacs near the larynx, which could reduce the frequencies of the sound they make when striking the chest.

In addition, they were able to observe variations in the duration and number of blows to the chest of the different gorillas. These variations are not related to the size of the body, but they can allow to identify the individuals who hit themselves.

The researchers also concluded that the sound of these blows can allow mountain gorillas to communicate through the dense tropical forests in which they live, where it is often difficult for them to see each other. They also presume that mountain gorillas can use the information transmitted through chest blows to choose a partner and evaluate the fighting capacity of the competitors.