Berlin: Scientists have discovered that gorillas do not "just" beat their chests; through them, they send specific messages to other male and female gorillas.
It should be noted that beating the chest like a drum has been observed in male gorillas.
But why do they do that?
Biologists from Germany, Spain, and the United States studied mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei) found in the dense mountain forests of Central Africa.
After a detailed and careful observation, the experts came to know two critical things:
Male gorillas tell other male gorillas about their size (stature) by beating their chests in a certain way. Surprisingly, short-tailed gorillas beat their chests more intensely, while larger-sized, taller, and stronger-bodied gorillas have significantly lower chest-beating intensity.
When the female gorilla hears the sound of the male gorilla's chest-beating, she decides whether to mate with the male gorilla for breeding. Female gorillas usually make giant and strong-bodied gorillas their "spouses," while smaller and weaker gorillas have difficulty finding, mating, and breeding females.
Since mountain gorillas live in dense forests where their population is small and scattered, the sound of beating their breasts also acts as a means of communication between these gorillas.
Details of the study are published in the latest issue of the online research journal "Scientific Reports."
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