Babysitting of infants by other individuals in the group is much less common than in humans or even some other species of primates. Usually it is done by females related to the mom or by older siblings. However, there are other indicators that have been noted.
In expecting mothers, appetite changes occur, and even morning sickness has been reported in pregnant gorillas under human care. Fact 4: Like human mothers, gorilla moms will go to great lengths to protect their offspring. Female mountain gorillas typically spend their entire lives in groups, relying on a silverback to provide general protection to the group, primarily from other gorilla males who often target infants when they interact with a group.
If for some reason the group disbands, usually after the death of the silverback, females will transfer into another group. But mountain gorilla mother Pasika surprised us a few years ago. After her group disbanded, she traveled alone with her 1-year-old infant, Mashami. We assume this was to protect him, as given his age, if she had transferred into the group, the dominant male would likely have killed Mashami so that Pasika would have started cycling again.
After 7 months of being solitary, Pasika was found in the company of lone silverback Turatsinze, and unfortunately without her infant. Fact s 5: While gorilla and human motherhood can be similar, it is also different in many ways! Gorilla moms generally do not put their infants down for the first six months! At 8 months they regularly ingest solid food. At approximately 3 years they start to become independent because their mother gives birth to the next baby.
In spite of this, mother and older offspring maintain a strong relationship. From its first day of life, the baby is part of the group. Under the protection and control of the mother it slowly grows into the community. As soon as the mother permits the others to approach, they will look at the newborn baby, smell and touch it. At latest when the young gorilla starts moving away from its mother, the other animals seize the opportunity to make contact with it. Usually, adult gorillas will hold, carry and groom the infant, while young gorillas will try to play with them.
When female gorillas reach sexual maturity, they develop a hormone cycle similar to that of human females. Female mountain gorillas can ovulate for the first time when they are about 8 years old, but usually the first ovulation happens in their 10th year. When males reach maturity at about 10 to 12 years, they may leave their group to live as solitary silverbacks group leaders or to start a new family group.
A western lowland gorilla silverback walks among members of a group of gorillas in an undated photo taken the Republic of Congo. The Wildlife Conservation Society has tallied more than , western gorillas in two adjacent areas of the northern part of the Republic of Congo, which is the highest gorilla densities ever recorded, as high as eight individuals in an area smaller than half a square mile. Gorillas don't need to drink water. They get all the moisture they need from food and morning dew.
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