Young Gorilla pondering - a photo on Flickriver

            The mountain gorilla is highly social, and lives in relatively stable, cohesive groups held together by long-term bonds between adult males and females. Relationships among females are relatively weak. These groups are nonterritorial; the silverback generally defends his group rather than his territory. In the Virunga mountain gorillas, the average length of tenure for a dominant silverback is 4.7 years.

61% of groups are composed of one adult male and a number of females and 36% contain more than one adult male. The remaining gorillas are either lone males or exclusively male groups, usually made up of one mature male and a few younger males. Group sizes vary from five to thirty, with an average of ten individuals. A typical group contains: one dominant silverback, who is the group's undisputed leader; another subordinate silverback (usually a younger brother, half-brother, or even an adult son of the dominant silverback); one or two blackbacks, who act as sentries; three to four sexually mature females, who have bonded for life to the dominant silverback; and from three to six juveniles and infants.

Most males and approximately 60% of females leave their natal group. Males leave when they are about eleven years old, and often the separation process is slow: they spend more and more time on the edge of the group until they leave altogether. They may travel alone or with an all-male group for two–five years before they can attract females to join them and form a new group. Females typically emigrate when they are about eight years old, either transferring directly to an established group or beginning a new one with a lone male. Females often transfer to a new group several times before they choose to settle down with a certain silverback male.

The dominant silverback generally determines the movements of the group, leading it to appropriate feeding sites throughout the year. He also mediates conflicts within the group and protects it from external threats. When the group is attacked by humans, leopards, or other gorillas, the silverback will protect them, even at the cost of his own life. He is the center of attention during rest sessions, and young gorillas frequently stay close to him and include him in their games. If a mother dies or leaves the group, the silverback is usually the one who looks after her abandoned offspring, even allowing them to sleep in his nest. Young mountain gorillas have been observed searching for and dismantling poachers' snares.

When the silverback dies or is killed by disease, accident, or poachers, the family group may be disrupted. Unless there is an accepted male descendant capable of taking over his position, the group will either split up or adopt an unrelated male. When a new silverback joins the family group, he may kill all of the infants of the dead silverback. Infanticide has not been observed in stable groups.

Analysis of mountain gorilla genomes by whole genome sequencing indicates that a recent decline in their population size has led to extensive inbreeding. As an apparent result, individuals are typically homozygous for 34% of their genome sequence. Furthermore, homozygosity and the expression of deleterious recessive mutations as consequences of inbreeding have likely resulted in the purging of severely deleterious mutations from the population.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Taken in: Rwanda / Northern Province / Kinigi / Rwamikore (show map)

Taken on: September 18, 2022

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Camera: Nikon D7500, f/8.0, 1/160 sec, 145mm (=217mm), ISO 400 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D7500
Aperture:	f/8.0
Exposure Time:	0.006 sec (1/160)
Focal Length:	145mm (35mm equivalent: 217mm)
ISO:	400
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	darktable 3.8.0
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