Fighting? No we're just monkeying around: Two lowland gorillas face up to each other... but it's just a bit of fun

By Daily Mail Reporter


Up close and personal: The two amazing lowland gorillas go head to head - but it's just for fun


This fantastic photo, taken by Paignton Zoo volunteer photographer Ray Wiltshire, shows eight-year-old male lowland gorilla Kivu and alpha male Pertinax, 29.

Kivu, on the left, weighs around 100kg and Pertinax tips the scales at a formidable 180kg.

But despite appearances, the two get on well and this was simply a bit of playful fun one afternoon.


Curator of Mammals Neil Bemment said: ‘Gorillas don’t live up to the King Kong image at all – they are mainly gentle giants - but they are no less impressive for that.’

The Zoo’s bachelor troop is one of the first established in Europe where young male gorillas can grow up in a social group if they are no longer in their original family groups.

The other members are Kumbuka 13, N’Dowe, 9, Kiondo, 8, and Matadi, who is also eight.


Two members of Paignton Zoo staff – Neil Bemment and primatologist Dr. Vicky Melfi - are on the steering committee of the EAZA (European Association of Zoos & Aquaria) Ape Campaign, an international push to raise one million euros and to increase awareness about the plight of apes in the wild.

The stomping grounds of lowland gorillas in the wild include the African countries of Cameroon, People’s Republic of Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and the Central African Republic.

They are famous for beating their chest, which many people mistake for a sign that they are about to go on the attack.

However, this action is actually a bluff that’s used to frighten intruders and doubles up as a way of enabling the rest of the gorilla’s band to run to safety.

Other human-like gestures that gorillas exhibit include clapping, bowing and stamping the feet.

Despite being so ferocious, the animals are mainly vegetarian, enjoying a diet of fruits, flowers and bulbs. They are also partial to ants and termites.

There are about 120,000 Lowland gorillas in the wild and they have a lifespan of between 20 and 50 years.

Paignton Zoo, meanwhile, is home to more than 3,000 animals, including baboons, crocodiles, Asiatic lions, giraffes and African elephants.

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source:dailymail