The Insane Biology of: The Gorilla

Credits:
Narrator/Writer: Stephanie Sammann
Writer: Ashleen Knutsen
Editor: Leany Muñoz
Illustrator: Jacek Ambrożewski

Imagery courtesy of Getty Images

[flibbernodgets]

I think people have used Koko for their own ends and put words in her hands, so to speak, but I have seen good evidence for her intelligence. The best of these came from an anecdote about a photo where she was told to smile for the camera. She's making the "smile" sign with her hands but pouting exaggeratedly with her lips, indicating she knew what was being asked of her but wanted to be a smart-aleck about it.

[stevenN]

Gorillas are so intelligent. I had to rewire part of the network at our local zoo a few years back. Will terminating the line into the gorilla exhibit, The Silverback decided to walk over to the barrier and just chilled and watched what I was doing. I knew not to look in his eyes to keep him comfy but I couldn't help but notice how interested he was in what I was doing. He even grabbed a stick and made motions similar to me and my line terminating tool. It was incredible. Maybe I'm thinking too much into what he was doing with the stick but he picked up a stack of grass and tapped the stick to it, as if mirroring what I'd just done with the wire.

[jamesryan]

You cite Hafthor Bjornsson's 501kg deadlift, and his bodyweight as 150kg. His bodyweight at the time of the deadlift was 205kg, meaning his BW ratio was less than 2.5x, not 3.3x. Making the gorillas 4.5x much more impressive.

[MegaGreatdanelover]

I feel like animals shouldn’t have to be seen as intelligent or empathetic in order for us to want to save them or protect them. Most every animal is vital to the ecosystem in some way or another, like bees and fish for example. I love these videos for how informative they are on all aspects of their situation.

[onesmileybaldy]

I get so sad when I see Koko sad about her kitten’s death, being a reflex for a reward or not, it doesn’t remove the fact that it really feels like she was grieving

[NaturalBloom]

It’s just funny to me how herbivores like the absolute units Hippopotamus and Gorilla have insane bite forces!

[SMGfanatic]

I laughed my ass off when that gorilla fell off the log. Love how the narrator doesn’t skip a beat 😂

[terramater]

Great apes are so fascinating, and it's so sad to see how many species are endangered, and we aren't making their lives easy. Our team got on camera the work of an orangutan organisation that aims to reintegrate orangutans kept in captivity. In the clips, you are able to see that the rehabilitation work takes years before these great apes are ready to go back to the wild. The images of the orangutan being released bring up so many emotions. We need to learn more about this amazing creatures and fight to protect them.

[jacob_s]

Quick note on Koko; like many I had heard about her for years, and she always seemed to be the exception whenever people would talk about communication with animal. But then about 10 years ago I came across a transcription of one of her exchanges. There was quite a bit of, shall we say, "interpretation" on her handlers part.
Don't get me wrong, it was and is still an incredibly impressive feat and important step in inter special communication, but like many things in life, it was rather over hyped, and people seemed to see it more for what it could be, rather than what it actually was.

[maltheopia]

I love gorillas. They have such a sophisticated, refined natural expression on their faces. Gorgeous lifeforms.

[OhOkayThenLazySusan]

I was disappointed that it was not acknowledged in the introduction that many believe Koko's level of ability to communicate was overblown. I didn't know we were even going to come back to the topic. I still kind of am, because if someone watches that introduction and doesn't watch the whole video, they're basically receiving misinformation.

But, the author does acknowledge this in the last portion of the video and is, I believe, spot-on with their conclusive thought. It's not that nothing was revealed during that research. But the interpreters were definitely drawing a lot of conclusions based on what they wanted or expected. The truth is definitely somewhere in between. And I love the idea that it would be helpful to also learn their 'language' along the way.

Great video as always with this channel.

[thecanadiandane]

I’ve been doing some personal research on ape communication, and I really don’t think they can use language in the same way humans can. To ask meaningful questions, to externalize thought processes, etcetera. More importantly, I also think that it shouldn’t matter.
A gorilla shouldn’t have to have the capability to ask you how your day at work was to be considered an intelligent, emotional, and important individual. We need to be seeing how we can communicate WITH them instead of trying to force them to communicate on our terms. They’re much more focused on their incredibly complex emotional relationships with each other and themselves than the mysteries of the universe, we should respect that fact.

[fatbro]

Thank you for making it easier to learn biology and I hope this channel keeps growing

[mcnulty]

Koko wanting a cat is the most relatable thing. Has all her basic needs met, doesn't need a man, just a kitten 😂

[mvw]

There is no doubt of Koko's intelligence, but I think you're right in saying it may be best for us to try and learn the language of her species, rather than try and get them to learns ours. It is assuredly more difficult, but would certainly lead to a better understanding of what they may be trying to communicate with us.

The world is such a beautiful place populated by fascinating, and strikingly intelligent animals. To think we may be able to communicate with them one day in some meaningful way is such a lovely prospect.

[wanderdhollander]

As a biochemist, I laughed very hard with seeing 'very complicated', when going from fatty acids to protein

[ExpandDong]

The thing I love about gorillas is that you immediately look at them and can't see how we're so closely related, until you look at their eyes and understand it completely

[kevinratay]

I wish I had videos like these in school. They're a million times more attentive than a textbook or a teacher that either talked too fast to understand or too slow to stay awake.. They would've stimulated my brain to want more as they do today at 40 years old. Even more importantly, I wouldn't have to be embarrassed to raise my hand for help. I'm able to hit rewind as many times needed to comprehend. Really awesome work! Thanks

[gaulxtraining]

Yes, gorillas are insanely strong, but deadlifting is a poor comparison for strength given that gorillas have such short legs. With stubby legs and super long arms, they're essentially built for deadlifting. The forces required for them to lift something up in a deadlifting position are comparably small to humans

[differentfins]

Great video! I love how you acknowledged that human deadlift record is 501 kg which is impressive and Hafthor weighed about the same as a mature male silver back but yes we are built different. I also laughed out loud when that gorilla slipped and fell off the log at the 10:03 mark.