Gorillas can be divided into two categories: oriental gorillas and western gorillas. According to different habitats, eastern gorillas can be divided into mountain gorillas and lowland gorillas, and western gorillas can also be divided into cross-river gorillas and western lowland gorillas.
Classification of orangutans
Studies have shown that humans and chimpanzees are closest to gorillas. They have the same ancestor as human beings, and they only began to evolve in different directions about 7 million years ago. A study based on gene level also shows that the average difference between gorillas and humans is only 1.6%.
Adult male gorillas are the largest primates in the world, with a height of 1.4- 1.8m, a weight of 136- 195kg and a wingspan of 2.3-2.6m Such a huge body is enough for them to have almost no opponents in the wild.
Silver-backed gorilla
As we all know, primates have developed nerves. Although this can make us react quickly and avoid some dangers well, it also has some "side effects", such as being very afraid of pain. So is the silverback gorilla. Although they are very good at fighting, they basically don't like fighting, and when they are attacked, they want to run away most of the time, which is in sharp contrast with other predators.
But gorillas are easily angered animals, and even some people's casual practices will cause their anger and lead to attacks. Yin Bei's output in anger is very high, so some people say that Yin Bei in anger can even knock over the Northeast Tiger with one punch.
There are different opinions about the fighting capacity of the silverback gorilla on the Internet, and one of them is widely circulated, saying that the leopard is the natural enemy of the silverback gorilla. Actually, this sentence is not very accurate. Both eastern gorillas and western gorillas basically live in African jungles, and there are no lions and hyenas in these places, only leopards, which are large predators, so the main threat to gorillas comes from leopards.
However, the threat of leopards is mainly reflected in gorilla cubs. Once gorillas come of age, leopards are no longer a threat.
leopard
Gorillas usually nest in trees to avoid some threats from the ground, which are not only from predators, but also from the interference of some large herbivores, such as fear of elephants trampling. But for leopards who are good at climbing trees, this is of no help. Leopards can prey on orangutan cubs in trees.
On the other hand, in order to protect the cubs, the female gorillas will always be with them for five months after birth, and gorillas live in groups. With collective care, cubs can be well protected.
A nest in a gorilla tree
However, as the saying goes, "You have a good plan and I have a wall ladder", gorillas are mainly divided into feeding period and rest period. I mainly eat all kinds of plants during the day and rest in the trees at night. It's not difficult for solitary cats, who are good at sneak attack, to secretly prey on gorilla cubs at night.
Although the main threat of gorillas comes from leopards in the jungle, it is only when they are young. When they grow up, gorillas have no natural enemies, especially the silver backs of males, and even have the ability to kill leopards.
Many people think that silverback gorillas belong to primates, have high IQ and can use some tools, so they have certain advantages in combat. But what people don't know is that all primates except humans only use tools at a very early stage. For throwing stones, they can only "throw", not like humans, so using such tools in combat will not bring much effect.
The advantages of silverback mainly come from two aspects, one is the size advantage, and the other is the strength advantage.
The large silverback gorilla weighs nearly 200 kilograms, which makes it much larger than most animals in the world. For animals, the size advantage largely determines the combat advantage. In the same species, when the weight difference reaches 50 kg, the heavier one is considered to have absolute advantage.
Although leopards and gorillas belong to different species, the huge weight difference still gives Yinbei some advantages. Its physical characteristics and social structure of gorillas can effectively prevent them from being preyed by leopards.
The silverback gorilla is tall, with long arms and strong limbs. I believe many people have seen a video on the Internet, that is, a silver back in the zoo cracked the explosion-proof glass with one punch. I believe that this force can do great harm to any predator.
In wild animals, a common trick is "bluffing", usually by imitating other strong people or raising their hair to make it look bigger. Silverback Dragon is a master of this technique. When they meet the enemy, they will stand up, then wave with open arms, hit the chest and make a "bang". The height of about one meter eight, plus a wingspan of more than two meters, is enough to scare away many wild animals.
Gorillas live in groups. In case of enemy situation, the leading silver back will give a warning. At this time, all members will immediately gather around the silver back to form a defense circle and place the cubs in the center of the defense circle. This formation is so effective that even the bravest leopard can't break through.
In addition, the most important responsibility of leading Yin Bei is to protect the safety of orangutans. Therefore, in the face of foreign attacks, Yin Bei is not as afraid of pain and timidity as people think. On the contrary, it is quite brave, usually a deadly battle.
As an adult, the leopard is no longer its opponent, so can Yin Bei win the Northeast Tiger? We might as well make a comparison from various data.
Most silverback gorillas weigh between 136- 195 kg, while the adult Siberian tiger weighs the same or even more.
Siberian tiger used to be the largest tiger subspecies, but its size has dropped a lot since 1950s. According to the data published by some international zoologists in 2005, the average weight of the wild Amur tiger is 176.4 kg, 1 17.9 kg and 222.3 kg respectively.
Although the Siberian tiger is much thinner than in the historical state, it is not at a disadvantage compared with the silverback gorilla, so the silverback has no weight advantage over the Siberian tiger.
Siberian tiger
Secondly, let's look at teeth, claws and so on. Although silverback gorillas also have sharp teeth and claws of carnivores, they are not carnivores after all, and they can't compare with Siberian tigers in this respect.
Tiger's meat-eating equipment is the most professional. Its upper canine teeth can reach about 1.3cm, and its occlusal quotient is 1.27. A Siberian tiger weighing 1.86kg, its canine teeth can reach about 1.500N, so the huge bite force can directly penetrate the skull of the silver back, and there is basically no pressure to tear the fur of the silver back.