Very good, I am currently in research practices Coast gorilla at the zoo in Barcelona, and would like to know behavior that catches my attention:
- Why are gorillas, especially the dominant male, and sometimes sub-adults, walking straight ahead, stop, look, and they turn around with your body, to continue in the same direction opposite?
They do it very often, to walk straight, stop, give that swing with the body and then continue in the same direction or near that direction ... It is curious because they do.
THANKS FOR EVERYTHING
I guess this can be a stress linked behavior because of the captivity. I already have seen spider monkeys (Ateles sp.) and capuchin monkeys (Sapajus sp.) performing similar (not the same) repetitive behaviors. Captivity is normally small, bad designed places that can obligate active animals like monkeys and apes to perform such repetitive behaviors because they lack space to perfom more natural, non-repetitive behaviors instead. This is my guess. I cannot think a better response to such a strange behavior at this moment. Otherwise, it would be some kind of dominance behavior, but sincerely, I don't guess it can be a good explanation. I hope I solved your curiosity.
I've been working with zoo gorillas as part of my graduate work since 2009, with specific interest in communicative behaviors. Hopefully I can offer some insights.
Unfortunately the language barrier prevents a full understanding out your question, but the behavior "stop and look back" is a common behavior/gesture in the repertoire of both zoo and wild gorillas. The behavior walk forward, pause, look or turn back, then resume walking in the original direction (especially in the adult male) can easily be interpreted as a signal to follow and/or checking whether others are following. Immature gorillas often engage in similar behavior in play, especially chase games.
Without a better description (or better a video link?), this is the best I can offer relative to normal (vs. abnormal) gorilla behavior.
As Ítalo Mourthé pointed out, pacing and other abnormal locomotion patterns in primates is commonly a sign of stress or boredom in captivity. However, your descriptions doesn't really sound abnormal.
If you have a chance to grab a short video, I'd be happy to take a look and offer a better/different interpretation.
Joshua J. Smith ·
The silverback and head of the family (there are 6 individuals), makes this behavior:
- Locomotion in a straight direction, stops, looks at the audience or is thoughtful, and instead resume locomotion, makes a 360 degree turn, a full turn in the same position and again walking in the same direction straight above ... I do every day, but do not know if it is normal or different behavior. He does not look stressed, yes boring ... but does that 360 degree turn to go in the same direction that started ... I'd put a video, but here is not how to put it .. Thanks for everything.
If you want to put a video, just upload to file sharing somewhere (e.g. Google Drive, Dropbox) and post me a link here. OR you can use the RG internal email and put the video link or add a video file as an attachment and it will come to my academic account.
Based on your fuller description here, this is not the same as stop and look back. Particularly done in front of or directed to the zoo visitors. It actually seems more like a dominance display, but admittedly a weird one. I'd love to see it.
Have you asked the zoo keepers there about the behavior?
Spinning can be a play behavior. I've witnessed it in immature gorillas.
This is spinning for play, adult male gorilla.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBxRLw_YuSw
Similar spinning play for infant gorilla
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qIETcOv_vg
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