Gorilla Sex | How Do Gorillas Have Sex?
Many wildlife enthusiasts wonder how gorillas have sex and if Gorillas have sex for fun. Well, Gorilla Sex Can be done all year round with the dominant male silverback having sex with all the females while they are ovulating. The process of Gorilla sex is normally initiated by the female when it is sexually active however there are instances when the dominant silverback male also initiates this process. He does so by advancing towards the female and then he touches her or makes a display with a sound. When the female doesn’t respond positively, he may not take that rejection well and instead charge while slapping the female as he forces her to accept.
Gorilla Sex is done while both gorillas are on the ground with the female (which is normally smaller than the dominant silverback) appearing to kneel on the ground while the male is on top throughout the copulation. However, a number of gorilla subspecies like the mountain gorillas and the lowland gorillas have on several occasions been observed mating while the male and female are facing each other a technique once believed to be unique among the human species and the bonobos (also known as the pygmy chimpanzee).
How to know that a female gorilla is ready to Sex?
Unlike their counterparts the chimpanzees, when it comes to female gorillas there is no physical body change to show that it is ready to have sex. Normally, once the female is ready, it initiates the process of having sex by gently approaching the male through pressing her lips together and making prolonged eye contact with him. During instances when the male does not respond to her advances, she then goes ahead to slap the ground as she moves towards the male as a way of attracting his attention. It should be noted that there are some moments when the male doesn’t respond positively to her or is too busy to attend to her and then she is compelled to mate with less subordinate males within her gorilla group. According to a study conducted in 1982, it was revealed that because of the aggression that a silverback exhibited towards a specific female, that female was compelled to initiate the mating process even when not in estrus.
Do Gorillas have sex for fun or to only Reproduce?
Generally speaking, besides reproduction it is very unusual for Gorillas to have sex for leisure or for competition among themselves. However, the females normally have sex to win favor before the dominant silverback as well as to prevent him from having sex with other female gorillas in the group. In fact instances of expectant female gorillas engaging in sex with the dominant silverback have been recorded and it’s alleged that they do so to prohibit the male from impregnating other adult females that are ready to have sex.
Amusingly in all subspecies of gorillas, the silverbacks prefer having sex with the adult experienced females while the interest and focus a dominant silverback gives to an ovulating female provokes competition among other female gorillas within that group. On the other hand, the male silverbacks within the western gorilla species have been observed to have sex with females whether they are ovulating or not although the rest will have sex only with the sexually ready females.
Gorillas Reproduction / Giving Birth and Parenthood
Once the process of Gorillas having sex is successful and the female conceives, she will experience an 8.5 month gestation period and only give birth again after approximately four (4) years. During the pregnancy, she will have a slight increase in breast size and also develop a bump on her tummy that is not very pronounced. They normally give birth in the morning hours and this is preceded by her appearing uneasy with continuous babies and only stretching and loss of appetite.
Throughout her life, a female gorilla may give birth to only 6 to 8 babies but just a few of these will be able to survive to maturity as caretaking is totally done by the females. The Silverback male on the other hand has a major role of making sure that the babies are accepted within the gorilla group and not bullied by other group members and for that reason for the first 5 months of the mother lives close to him for protection.
Breastfeeding and Weaning among Gorillas
For the first four (4) months, the infant is carried around by the mother in her hands as he/she suckles directly every three (3) hours on the mother’s breasts. By the fifth (5) month, the infants have begun gaining confidence among the group members so they ride on the mother’s back and occasionally lay on the ground close by to their mothers. By 12 months (one year), the baby gorilla has attained enough confidence to move as far as five (5) meters away from the mother during brief intervals.
By the second birth – date, he/she can spend some time away from the mother while further away but still return to the mother. Weaning among the gorillas normally takes place when the baby is about 2.5 years (30 months) old. Nonetheless, the baby gorilla will continue to breastfeed (nurse) until they are about four (4) years old, however, when they stop doing so, they begin making their own nests and live independent of the mother, while the mother starts all over again to ovulate.
Mortality in Infant Gorillas
Although the gorilla species is generally considered to be endangered internationally, its sad to say that the mortality rate among the infant gorillas is high with nearly half of them not making it to adulthood.
Causes of High Mortality Rate in Gorillas
- There are a number of reasons for this high mortality ass highlighted below.
- Since the baby gorillas greatly depend on the mothers for a long time, any change in group leadership especially takeover by a new silverback will lead to the death of all nursing infants. the new silverback normally does this to create opportunities of successful mating with the females in that group.
- Trauma is believed to lead to 56% of all infant mortality
- Respiratory Infections; these are alleged to lead to the death of nearly 15% infants
- Different illnesses especially among the mountain gorillas are said to be another major contributor to infant mortality such as hepatic Capillariasis, gastrointestinal parasitism and lymphoid disease.
To see Gorillas in their natural habitat, we have suggested a few packages below that we think might interest to kick gorilla trekking off your bucket list.
Recommended Gorilla Trekking Tours to Inspire You.
3 Days Uganda Gorilla Tour
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Contact Us to start planning your Gorilla tour with us! you can create an itinerary from scratch, or modify one of our suggested itineraries. Whether your trip is a few days’ or a few weeks’ long, our local travel experts will craft a unique itinerary, fully tailored to your wishes. You May also reach us on WhatsApp on +256-757-341-593