Gorilla Hierarchy

I. Introduction

For my subject matter I observed gorillas at the San Francisco Zoo. Gorillas are social primates and live in groups averaging 7-17 individuals (Maple & Hoff, 1982, pg. 49). They have a polygynous social model with one dominant male, many females, infants, and possibly a few subordinate males. Physically there is much sexual dimorphism between males and females, with females generally weighing 150-200 pounds and males 350-400 pounds (Erwin, Maple, Mitchell, 1979, pg. 245). Based on this information I hypothesize that gorillas will maintain this dominance hierarchy even in captivity.

II. Materials and Methods

The gorilla exhibit at the San Francisco Zoo was comprised of one male silverback named Mkbuwa, two adult females, Pogo and Bawnay, and one juvenile female Nneka (daughter of Bawnay). The gorillas were viable from nearly every side of their large round outdoor enclosure which was attached to a small building (presumably their night quarters).