Baby Gorillas in Action

Here's a video of the gorillas of the North Carolina Zoo taken by b palmento, a major fan of the adorable Bomassa and Apollo and the rest of their family. Some nice basic footage which shows you how the gorillas behave on an everyday basis. A few notes, so that you know a little bit about who is who and what is happening. The video starts with Jamani coming down from the tree, Bomassa on her back. Then we have Olympia following, with Apollo on her back. Next we see Acacia enter from stage right. At about 1:30 we see Acacia approaching and climbing the tree. At 1:52 we see Jamani give a little hop as Olympia barrels in from the right. Olympia is dominant, and sometimes Jamani appears a little scared of her and makes sure to clear out of her way. Jamani is the biggest of the three lady gorillas. Therefore her deference to the smaller Olympia is surprising, an interesting dynamic to observe. At 2:54 we see Apollo hopping down from the rock he has climbed. As the son of the dominant female, he is always asserting himself over his big brother. So he climbs up on the rock to the get the upper hand. But then our sweet Bomassa bares his teeth and strikes out, causing Apollo to leap down and go away. Highly unusual! If you have been reading this blog for a little while, you know that Bomassa sometimes runs to mama for safety. It's nice to see him standing his ground against that little tyke Apollo!

For even more interesting videos about the gorillas check out the YouTube stream of b palmento.

Gorilla Scuffle

Baby Boy Gorilla Play

Whenever the boys are together these days at their home at the North Carolina Zoo, they are both showing their teeth and using those big hands of theirs to show the other who's boss. Mothers-of-People-Boys who come to the window always remind us that the gorilla boys just playing. Jamani continues to stay nearby, just in case things get out of hand.  Look at the size of those teeth in their mouths!

Apollo left, Bomassa right, looking at his mother's arm

The Jumping Stage

Apollo is enthralled these days with jumping. When I visited recently, he had climbed to the top of the tree structure, which is some 12 to 15 feet off the ground, I would guess.

Mother Olympia sits down below unconcerned as her son balances precariously

Up top, there is a platform. One of the gorillas had just hiked up there to dump a great load of straw. Rising above the platform by about three feet or so, is a post in the shape of a log. Apollo had climbed up to that very high platform, and then would hoist himself up onto the post. Next he would jump down the short distance and land on the straw covered platform.  And then he would do it again. And again!  He was having a wonderful time climbing, then balancing, then jumping. Over and over again. It's how kids learn motor skills, through play, through repetition, through practice. Whether it's a gorilla-kid or a people-kid, the story is the same. 

Here he comes!  Ready to land on that platform and scramble back up the post

Walking with Mom

Apollo Walks along with his Mom Olympia Gorilla

Bomassa with Mom

Jamani is the largest of the gorillas at the Zoo and she has quite an imposing gaze! She and Bomassa often sit together. She's a good mom!

Just Hanging Out

Bomassa and his mother Jamani are in the foreground, while Olympia sits behind. Apollo is practicing beating his chest. These days, the gorillas are picking at the grass and eating some. They do this in the Spring when the grass is tender and tasty.

Anything Goes

Remember we said Olympia is a little light on her discipline of her son, Apollo?