This amplifies the sound, which can be heard up to half a mile (0.8 kilometers) away. When a gorilla beats his chest, he does so not with fists but with cupped hands. While there’s still lots of research to do, the way that each gorilla beats his chest may be a sign of his individuality- his own signature sound. While the sound frequency correlated to the size of the gorilla, the rate, duration, and amount of beats varied from male to male. As females in the gorilla world are usually drawn to the big alpha male, it is his way of showing how desirable he is. To Attract FemalesĪnother thing that the researchers noticed is that the dominant male will beat his chest more often when a female is in heat. So if they can assert dominance by chest beating rather than fighting, it works out better for all involved. ![]() And they have big sharp teeth! If they were to get into a fight, chances are that even the winner would be pretty beat up. ![]() Add to that, they can weigh 420 pounds (190 kilograms). Males can reach a standing height of 5.6 feet (1.7 meters) with more than an 8-foot arm span (more than 2.5 meters). Rival males can then decide whether to initiate or escalate a fight, or to retreat. Because we now know that the sound made is indicative of the gorilla’s size, it may be his way of saying “I’m a big guy, it would be in your best interest to back down.” While it may seem to be an aggressive action, when a gorilla beats his chest he may actually be trying to avoid a fight. So the dominant male would make a very low sound, while juveniles would produce a higher frequency sound when beating their chests. What they found was fascinating- the larger the gorilla, the lower the sound frequency produced during the chest pummeling. Using photographs and laser technology, the group was able to determine the size of each gorilla. As an Indication of their Size/Rank in the Group Here are some of their findings as to why gorillas beat their chest. Over 3,000 hours were spent, and more than 500 chest beats from 25 different males were recorded by Edward Wright and fellow researchers. ![]() As an Indication of their Size/Rank in the GroupĪn intensive study took place at Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda from 2014-2016 to observe the habits of mountain gorillas. 4 Reasons Male Gorillas Beat Their Chest.
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