gorilla

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Ability to Joke Isn't Exclusive to Humans
Humans Aren't the Only
Jokers on the Planet
NEW STUDY

Humans Aren't the Only Jokers on the Planet

Teasing apes suggest 'cognitive prerequisites for joking' evolved at least 13M years ago

(Newser) - You would think poking or slapping a great ape would be ill-advised. But the young chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans who tease their adult counterparts are rarely met with aggression. That's because, according to a new study, even great apes know when a joke is a joke. Researchers analyzed...

Surprise! Zoo Gorilla, Thought to Be Male, Births Baby

Columbus Zoo keepers were surprised to find Sully holding a newborn

(Newser) - For five years, the Columbus Zoo has believed one of its western lowland gorillas, Sully, was a male. On Thursday, the zoo found out in a very surprising way that it's been wrong this whole time—when zookeepers found 8-year-old Sully holding her newborn baby girl, UPI reports. As...

Zoo Cracks Down on Gorilla's Screen Time

It seems they really like visitors' cellphones

(Newser) - If you've ever had a kid, spouse, or decidedly boring date you couldn't drag away from their phone, the Toronto Zoo can commiserate. The Toronto Star reports that visitors have for some reason felt the urge to show Nassir the gorilla videos on their cellphones. "Nassir is...

Stray Dog Flirts With Disaster in Gorilla Habitat

Things got tense, but everyone was fine in the end in San Diego

(Newser) - In what must have seemed like a fine idea at the time, a stray dog wandered into the gorilla habitat at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park on Sunday. Franklin the gorilla and his partner were not pleased; nor were the horrified onlookers, at least one of whom caught the...

3 Star Attractions of Children's Zoo Fall to COVID

Nebraska zoo announces deaths of trio of snow leopards

(Newser) - Big cats at zoos have contracted COVID during the pandemic previously, but this time the cases were fatal. The Lincoln Children's Zoo in Nebraska says the snow leopards Ranney, Everest, and Makaly have died after testing positive last month, reports CBS News . The cats were star attractions at the...

World's Oldest Male Gorilla Has COVID

A dozen others in addition to Ozzie have also tested positive at Zoo Atlanta

(Newser) - The coronavirus has overtaken more than a dozen gorillas at Zoo Atlanta, officials say, including the oldest male gorilla in the world. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Ozzie —a 60-year-old, 350-pound silverback who's sired 12 gorillas at the zoo and is said to be a "terrific father"...

Redditors Who Bought GameStop Pick Next Investment

It's gorillas, for a reason

(Newser) - The WallStreetBets Reddit group has landed on its next investment: gorillas. Yes, really. The redditors who sent shares of GameStop (GME) soaring in January go by the nickname "apes," and on Saturday, one of those apes posted the following: "Adopted a gorilla." He did so in...

Cher's Rescue Tour Continues. This Time It's a Gorilla

Star is begging for help to rehome Thailand's only gorilla from a department store zoo

(Newser) - If you're thinking a department store zoo doesn't sound like a great place for a gorilla, Cher agrees. The singer, fresh off of her Pakistan trip to rescue the "world's loneliest elephant," is now making a plea to Thailand to free the country's last...

Poacher Gets 11 Years for Killing Rare Gorilla
'Rafiki Has Received Justice'

'Rafiki Has Received Justice'

Ugandan poacher sentenced to 11 years

(Newser) - There are only around 1,000 or so mountain gorillas left on the planet—and that number went down by one last month when a poacher in Uganda killed Rafiki , a silverback popular with tourists. The poacher, Felix Byamukama, had been part a group hunting illegally for bush meat in...

'Extremely Exciting' Photos Emerge of Rare Great Apes

Cross River gorillas photographed with babies in Nigeria

(Newser) - You're not likely to see a Cross River gorilla in person, but you can see a whole troop in a series of rare photos. Cross River gorillas are the most endangered subspecies of ape, with only 300 known to live in the wild, reports the BBC . The gorillas—which...

Death of Popular Rare Gorilla Could Be Devastating for Others

Gorilla group left behind after Rafiki allegedly killed by poacher in Uganda may be left 'unstable'

(Newser) - About half of the world's mountain gorillas can be found in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. That number has just fallen by one, after local wildlife authorities say a male gorilla popular with tourists was killed by a poacher, per Reuters and the BBC . The Uganda Wildlife Authority...

Family Skirmish Ends Poorly for Baby Gorilla

Kitoko undergoes neurosurgery after he's apparently accidentally bitten by family member

(Newser) - A baby gorilla was badly injured at a Seattle zoo on Saturday when he was caught in a skirmish between his family group. Animal health experts at the Woodland Park Zoo say little Kitoko was bitten on the head, likely by accident when another gorilla tried to bite his mother,...

Lightning Strikes Rare Mountain Gorillas

4 dead in Uganda in 'big loss for species'

(Newser) - There are about 1,000 mountain gorillas left on planet Earth, and there are four fewer after a lightning strike felled the rare creatures in Uganda, reports the BBC . The three adult females, including a pregnant female, and infant male were discovered in Mgahinga National Park with "gross lesions"...

TSA Officers on Leave Over Noose at Airport

Racist display was seen in restricted area of Miami International Airport

(Newser) - Two TSA officers are on leave after a racist display featuring toy gorillas and a noose was discovered at Miami International Airport. The display (see it here ) was discovered July 21 in a baggage-screening area not accessible to the public, per CNN . A TSA employee tells the outlet that...

The 'Gorillas in the Mist' May Be No More

Last of the gorillas observed by Dian Fossey believed dead

(Newser) - The last of the original "gorillas in the mist," a troupe observed by primatologist Dian Fossey before her death in Rwanda more than 30 years ago, is believed to have died. Though the mountain gorilla population numbered 600 in 2016, up from some 240 in 1967, per CNN...

Park Ranger Explains This Selfie
Park Ranger
Explains This Selfie
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Park Ranger Explains This Selfie

Orphaned gorillas like to mimic humans, he says

(Newser) - A park ranger in Congo has described how he captured a selfie with two gorillas that went viral. Mathieu Shamavu, a ranger at Virunga National Park in eastern Congo, says he was checking his phone when he noticed two female orphaned gorillas, Ndakazi and Ndeze, mimicking his movements, so he...

Koko, the Gorilla Who Knew Sign Language, Dies at 46

She captivated the world with her ability to communicate

(Newser) - Koko, the beloved gorilla who captivated many with her ability to communicate through sign language, has died at age 46. The western lowland gorilla died in her sleep Tuesday morning, NPR reports. Born at the San Francisco Zoo on July 4 , 1971, Koko was chosen as an infant to work...

New Study Finds Both Good News and Bad for Gorillas
There Are More Gorillas
Than We Thought
study says

There Are More Gorillas Than We Thought

But new study also finds bad news for western lowland gorillas

(Newser) - Although still highly vulnerable, there are more western lowland gorillas than previously thought, a new study finds. Over a 10-year period, scientists scoured 72,000 square miles of western equatorial Africa on foot patrols studying nests and other clues, reports the Guardian . Earlier estimates placed the gorilla population at 150,...

Diet of Captive Gorillas Could Be Killing Them
Diet of Captive Gorillas
Could Be Killing Them
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Diet of Captive Gorillas Could Be Killing Them

Heart disease is rampant in zoo populations but nearly unheard of in wild

(Newser) - In 1911, Madame Ningo, the first gorilla in North America, arrived at the Bronx Zoo, where she was fed hot, meat-centric meals from a nearby restaurant. Being an herbivore, Madame Ningo refused to eat and was dead within two weeks. A century later, the ways zoos feed gorillas may still...

Harambe's Grandmother Euthanized in Miami

The gorilla was 49 years old

(Newser) - Zoo Miami's matriarch gorilla, Josephine, who was grandmother to the internet-famous Harambe, has died, the AP reports. The zoo announced on social media that the 49-year-old ape was euthanized Wednesday morning, saying she had been suffering from several health issues that slowly incapacitated her. Josephine was born in the...

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