gorilla caring

Caring for the Young
Mountain gorillas have a slow rate of reproduction. Females give birth for the first time at about age 10 and will have more offspring every three or four years. A male begins to breed between 12 and 15 years, when he is in charge of his own group. Able to conceive for only about three days each month, the female produces a single young. Newborn gorillas are weak and tiny, weighing in at about 4 pounds. Their movements are as awkward as those of human infants, but their development is roughly twice as fast. At 3 or 4 months, the gorilla infant can sit upright and can stand with support soon after. It suckles regularly for about a year and is gradually weaned at about 31/2 years, when it becomes more independent.

Vocal communication among gorillas is important in within-group interactions as well as extra-group interactions. Within-group calls, include “copulatory grunts” and “whimpers” during copulation, “whines” and “whimpers” by infants, “play chuckles” during play, “intense” and “mild cough grunts” during mild threat displays, and “close” calls that include both “syllabled” and “non-syllabled” calls such as “train-grunts” and “dog whines”.”Close” calls are commonly given within the group in situations of either potential separation or potential conflict. Extra-group calls serve to alert group members of potential predation and include “barks” or are given as long-distance threat displays upon detection of another group and include the “hoot series,” which may be accompanied by chest beating. Most calling occurs within-groups during feeding times, though gorillas also call during rest periods as well.

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