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Species: Gorilla

Use: Social behavior and Social Structures

Authors: B. Beck, Brookfield Zoo

Methods: Scans of Location and activity

Publications/Presentations: Compilation of Gorilla Ethograms

Activity

Lie: Being recumbent with little or no weight being borne on hands or feet.

Sit: Bearing most weight on buttocks.

Stand still: Bearing weight on feet quadrupedally or bipedally with hands holding on to mesh, glass, terr, etc.

Locomote: Walking, running, or climbing.

Other behaviors

Rest near: Sitting or lying within armŐs reach of another for at least 10 seconds. Initiator is second animal to rest.Ę The receiver must be relatively immobile but need not be resting.

Groom: Directed touching, licking, or intense visual inspection of anotherŐs (GO) or own skin (GS) or pelage. Scratching excluded.

Intimidation display: Resting on chest or abdomen, beating on cage surface, rapid exaggerated running or strutting, pursed lips, and/or exaggerated throwing or shoving of objects. Score when two or more of these behaviors occur simultaneously or sequentially. Score initiator only.

Rough-up: Slapping, poking, elbowing, punching, hair pulling, pushing, shoving, or wrestling when not in play or sexual context.

Aggressive bite: Biting when not in play.

Crouch: Initiator lowers ventrum toward or to substrate, or curls fetally on substrate. Event terminated when normal locomotor or resting posture resumed.

Inspect genitalia: Sniffing, touching, or intense visual inspection of anotherŐs genitalia or own genitalia.

Sex solicit: Female purses lips and stares at/follows/reaches toward male. Event terminated when lips relax for at least 10 seconds.

Copulation: Dorso-ventral mounting or ventro-ventral mounting with pelvic thrusting. Event terminated when either animal breaks bodily contact. Note if intromission confirmed (very difficult) or if semen observed afterward on penis or vagina.

Masturbate: Rhythmic rubbing of genitalia with any part of own body (e.g., fingers, toe), or against inanimate object.

Yawn: Per usual definition. Score each yawn.

Feces: Manipulation of mouthing of own or anotherŐs feces. Note whose feces if possible. Note ŇeatÓ if fecal material actually ingested.

Regurgitate: Vomiting into mouth, hand, or onto substrate: note if reswallowed.

Termination of behavior: Termination of yawn, crouch, sex solicit and copulation is specified in definition of those patterns. For all other patterns, an event is terminated when discontinued for 10 or more seconds or if the participating animal(s) engage in another scored pattern within 10 seconds. However, Rest Near is not rescored until one partner moves out of arms reach for 10 seconds regardless of concomitant behavior.