Primates meet primate
October 1, 2015 6:36 PM Subscribe
At 3:47 the silverback farts in dude's general direction as he walks away. I've watched it a dozen times now.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 6:46 PM on October 1, 2015 [11 favorites]
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 6:46 PM on October 1, 2015 [11 favorites]
OK- I was going to make a jokey "GORILLA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING GORILLA? STOP EATING MY KAYAK GORILLA!" kind of comment, but that was legitimately amazing.
The juveniles investigating the hu-mon with the silverback right there is absolutely terrifying, but also so characteristic of a lot of higher-order primates and great apes. They are super curious, but if you happen to do anything even vaguely threatening, and provoke any sort of "alarm" vocalization, it's game over. Those juveniles will get you into so much fucking trouble. The guy on camera must be absolutely shitting himself (although the grooming behaviors are a good sign).
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 6:46 PM on October 1, 2015 [4 favorites]
The juveniles investigating the hu-mon with the silverback right there is absolutely terrifying, but also so characteristic of a lot of higher-order primates and great apes. They are super curious, but if you happen to do anything even vaguely threatening, and provoke any sort of "alarm" vocalization, it's game over. Those juveniles will get you into so much fucking trouble. The guy on camera must be absolutely shitting himself (although the grooming behaviors are a good sign).
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 6:46 PM on October 1, 2015 [4 favorites]
I kept thinking "dude, shut your mouth! stop showing your teeth!"
posted by nonspecialist at 6:47 PM on October 1, 2015 [9 favorites]
posted by nonspecialist at 6:47 PM on October 1, 2015 [9 favorites]
The gorillas seemed very "chill".
posted by bonobothegreat at 6:52 PM on October 1, 2015
posted by bonobothegreat at 6:52 PM on October 1, 2015
omg gorillas you can't just go up and touch a human's hair
posted by um at 6:54 PM on October 1, 2015 [17 favorites]
posted by um at 6:54 PM on October 1, 2015 [17 favorites]
The gorillas seemed very "chill".
Well, yeah, compared to some kind of jumped-up bonobo they are.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 6:54 PM on October 1, 2015
Well, yeah, compared to some kind of jumped-up bonobo they are.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 6:54 PM on October 1, 2015
I kept thinking "dude, shut your mouth! stop showing your teeth!"
Yeah, when he opened his mouth in my-life-will-never-be-the-same astonishment there at the end, I expected the silverback to rumble back and rip his head off.
posted by gottabefunky at 6:55 PM on October 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Yeah, when he opened his mouth in my-life-will-never-be-the-same astonishment there at the end, I expected the silverback to rumble back and rip his head off.
posted by gottabefunky at 6:55 PM on October 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
This is in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, which is undoubtedly the best named park in equatorial Africa. It's also home to just about half of the existing mountain gorilla population - somewhere around 350 gorillas, of around 800.
Mountain gorillas are SUPER laid back. They basically spend their lives noshing on lettuce and nettles, and then sitting around being gassy while the leaves ferment in their stomach. They don't have the excess energy to be frenetic and aggressive, and they don't really need to. Bwindi is teeming with leaves and vegetation to eat - no need to fight about it. Just sit and nibble and digest and fart.
posted by ChuraChura at 6:57 PM on October 1, 2015 [34 favorites]
Mountain gorillas are SUPER laid back. They basically spend their lives noshing on lettuce and nettles, and then sitting around being gassy while the leaves ferment in their stomach. They don't have the excess energy to be frenetic and aggressive, and they don't really need to. Bwindi is teeming with leaves and vegetation to eat - no need to fight about it. Just sit and nibble and digest and fart.
posted by ChuraChura at 6:57 PM on October 1, 2015 [34 favorites]
I love his expression at the end. You rarely see that mix of wonder, excitement, and joy on a person's face once they reach adulthood. That was an amazing experience.
I'm no primatologist, but the presence of the silverback is likely why he kept his head down until the silverback was behind him, where there was no chance of making accidental eye contact.
posted by Anonymous at 7:04 PM on October 1, 2015
I'm no primatologist, but the presence of the silverback is likely why he kept his head down until the silverback was behind him, where there was no chance of making accidental eye contact.
posted by Anonymous at 7:04 PM on October 1, 2015
As a fellow primate I felt so much better once I could see the hu-man was smiling..
posted by bleep at 7:12 PM on October 1, 2015
posted by bleep at 7:12 PM on October 1, 2015
It's all fun and games until a silverback rips your arm off and beats you to death with it.
posted by photoslob at 7:16 PM on October 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by photoslob at 7:16 PM on October 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Metafilter: No need to fight about it. Just sit and nibble and digest and fart.
posted by gwint at 7:19 PM on October 1, 2015 [15 favorites]
posted by gwint at 7:19 PM on October 1, 2015 [15 favorites]
Yeah- for me the scariest bit was near the beginning where the whole troop was passing along the trail, and the silverback stopped at the end to look around and check out the guy with the camera.
If I were that guy, I would have pooped a bit.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 7:19 PM on October 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
If I were that guy, I would have pooped a bit.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 7:19 PM on October 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
This is in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, which is undoubtedly the best named park in equatorial Africa.
"Impenetrable"? There's a path right through it! You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
posted by kirkaracha at 7:38 PM on October 1, 2015 [5 favorites]
brappi: repeat post!
/pats brappi on head roughly, picks nits out of their hair and eats them, wanders away farting
posted by Celsius1414 at 7:59 PM on October 1, 2015 [4 favorites]
/pats brappi on head roughly, picks nits out of their hair and eats them, wanders away farting
posted by Celsius1414 at 7:59 PM on October 1, 2015 [4 favorites]
Mod note: This looks like a similar-but-not-identical video, and people seem to be digging it, so I'm going to leave it up.
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 8:06 PM on October 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 8:06 PM on October 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Just sit and nibble and digest and fart.
The real American dream. Also seldom achieved.
posted by juiceCake at 8:17 PM on October 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
The real American dream. Also seldom achieved.
posted by juiceCake at 8:17 PM on October 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
This looks like a similar-but-not-identical video, and people seem to be digging it, so I'm going to leave it up.
It looks identical to me except for the intros -- am I missing something?
posted by Dip Flash at 8:19 PM on October 1, 2015
It looks identical to me except for the intros -- am I missing something?
posted by Dip Flash at 8:19 PM on October 1, 2015
I have a friend who was collecting urine from mountain gorillas to look at energetics and cortisol. Normally when you're collecting primate urine, you just have to follow people around until they urinate, and then pipette it off of leaves. However, the mountain gorillas were so placid, she attached a beaker to an extendable pole about 3 meters long, and when she saw someone start peeing, she'd extend the pole really quickly and collect samples that way - and it was great because she didn't have to worry about diluting the urine artificially with water already on leaves, or contaminating it with other substances or anything like that!
It makes me super jealous - collecting urine is one of my dreams, but it's much more complicated with arboreal, jumpy, energetic little monkeys than big hulking lazy gorillas.
posted by ChuraChura at 8:21 PM on October 1, 2015 [18 favorites]
It makes me super jealous - collecting urine is one of my dreams, but it's much more complicated with arboreal, jumpy, energetic little monkeys than big hulking lazy gorillas.
posted by ChuraChura at 8:21 PM on October 1, 2015 [18 favorites]
> collecting urine is one of my dreams
I love this so much I cannot even
posted by rtha at 8:37 PM on October 1, 2015 [20 favorites]
I love this so much I cannot even
posted by rtha at 8:37 PM on October 1, 2015 [20 favorites]
> collecting urine is one of my dreams
It's....good to...have goals?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:39 PM on October 1, 2015 [11 favorites]
It's....good to...have goals?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:39 PM on October 1, 2015 [11 favorites]
you just have to follow people around until they urinate
"Officer, this researcher has followed me into three public bathrooms already and now she is extending a beaker on a pole."
posted by Dip Flash at 8:51 PM on October 1, 2015 [16 favorites]
"Officer, this researcher has followed me into three public bathrooms already and now she is extending a beaker on a pole."
posted by Dip Flash at 8:51 PM on October 1, 2015 [16 favorites]
A penis beaker?
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:12 PM on October 1, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:12 PM on October 1, 2015 [3 favorites]
From what I've heard, chimpanzees are often total assholes, but gorillas are pretty mellow because they almost never run into another (non-gorilla) creature that would even begin to consider thinking about dreaming of giving them a hard time.
I still would have had a heart attack in that situation, though.
posted by uosuaq at 9:26 PM on October 1, 2015
I still would have had a heart attack in that situation, though.
posted by uosuaq at 9:26 PM on October 1, 2015
Talk about having a monkey on your back.
posted by WalkingAround at 10:44 PM on October 1, 2015
posted by WalkingAround at 10:44 PM on October 1, 2015
Ok, so who would win in a fight: silverback gorilla vs. grizzly bear?
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:38 AM on October 2, 2015
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:38 AM on October 2, 2015
am I missing something?
They're different starting from about 1:30 - the previously posted one seems to be shot by Mr King as it shows the scene from his perspective (edit: sorry, just about a minute of it).
posted by hat_eater at 2:43 AM on October 2, 2015
They're different starting from about 1:30 - the previously posted one seems to be shot by Mr King as it shows the scene from his perspective (edit: sorry, just about a minute of it).
posted by hat_eater at 2:43 AM on October 2, 2015
collecting urine is one of my dreams, but it's much more complicated with arboreal, jumpy, energetic little monkeys than big hulking lazy gorillas
Similarly, a friend of mine did grad research on cortisol levels and whatnot, though in new world monkeys and collecting feces instead of urine. Chasing howler monkeys through Central American rainforests is a fool's errand, so she ended up locating spots where they consistently gathered and just sort of hanging out there waiting for them.
She described her work as "standing around in the woods hoping something would shit on me."
posted by Panjandrum at 7:11 AM on October 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
Similarly, a friend of mine did grad research on cortisol levels and whatnot, though in new world monkeys and collecting feces instead of urine. Chasing howler monkeys through Central American rainforests is a fool's errand, so she ended up locating spots where they consistently gathered and just sort of hanging out there waiting for them.
She described her work as "standing around in the woods hoping something would shit on me."
posted by Panjandrum at 7:11 AM on October 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
That is the story of my life, except mine is in West Africa. Howler monkeys are, relatively speaking, more like gorillas than like the monkeys I was studying (lots of time sleeping and eating leaves and digesting), but still arboreal and, depending on your forest, a pain to follow. I collect feces from my monkeys too, but because my guys don't tend to take giant group naps like howlers do, I just follow them while staring intently at their butts, waiting for them to poop. When they do urinate, it usually scatters too broadly to make urine collection feasible. Poop is a lot easier and (usually) scatters much less. It does hurt when it hits you in the head, though - urine just makes you kind of smelly.
posted by ChuraChura at 7:20 AM on October 2, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by ChuraChura at 7:20 AM on October 2, 2015 [5 favorites]
She described her work as "standing around in the woods hoping something would shit on me."
I have that job! Except, replace 'woods' with 'office' and replace 'hoping' with 'expecting'.
posted by Phreesh at 7:30 AM on October 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
I have that job! Except, replace 'woods' with 'office' and replace 'hoping' with 'expecting'.
posted by Phreesh at 7:30 AM on October 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
"HUMAN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? WHY ARE YOU EATING MY KAYAK, HUMAN??!!! PLEASE HUMAN, GO AWAY!"
(Off to actually watch video, now)
posted by symbioid at 9:08 AM on October 2, 2015
(Off to actually watch video, now)
posted by symbioid at 9:08 AM on October 2, 2015
Grizzly. The bear outweighs the ape by a factor of three or four, and is pointier. But if they're not both in a pretty bad way, they'll just get out of each other's way - if it isn't a fight over mating or a life and death situation, predators aren't very interested in picking a fight they might lose. The ape is going to say nope, and if the bear challenges him, he can put on a pretty good show to persuade the bear to drop it.
posted by wotsac at 9:28 AM on October 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by wotsac at 9:28 AM on October 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
I got to meet the mountain gorillas in Rwanda. And all I can say is: holy shit.
This took me back to that kinda permagrin you get when you're witnessing something truly magical about nature, so up close and personal. There's something quite nearly spiritual about being at peace with another mammal, and one that resembles you so much more than most of the other ones.
I had two great moments in our 20 or so minutes with them - the first was almost captured in the pictures when one of the females rushed at me somewhat playfully and tried to drag me by the leg a short distance. There's a photo where I'm kind of nervously looking behind me as I hear her rushing through the bush at me. I had to lay still for a couple seconds after that.
The second was when their group moved around the side of ours and the silverback positioned himself about 10 feet in front of me, and I couldn't push myself any further away from him because my entire group was pressed up behind me. And now that I could see that his hands were big enough to pick me up by my noggin and crush it like a green grape, I had a true respect for him.
Thanks for taking me back.
posted by allkindsoftime at 2:31 PM on October 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
This took me back to that kinda permagrin you get when you're witnessing something truly magical about nature, so up close and personal. There's something quite nearly spiritual about being at peace with another mammal, and one that resembles you so much more than most of the other ones.
I had two great moments in our 20 or so minutes with them - the first was almost captured in the pictures when one of the females rushed at me somewhat playfully and tried to drag me by the leg a short distance. There's a photo where I'm kind of nervously looking behind me as I hear her rushing through the bush at me. I had to lay still for a couple seconds after that.
The second was when their group moved around the side of ours and the silverback positioned himself about 10 feet in front of me, and I couldn't push myself any further away from him because my entire group was pressed up behind me. And now that I could see that his hands were big enough to pick me up by my noggin and crush it like a green grape, I had a true respect for him.
Thanks for taking me back.
posted by allkindsoftime at 2:31 PM on October 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
A friend of mine from South Africa had an amazing gorilla experience in Uganda last year: blog post/article and video.
posted by Celsius1414 at 3:54 PM on October 2, 2015
posted by Celsius1414 at 3:54 PM on October 2, 2015
omg gorillas you can't just go up and touch a human's hair um, this reads as super super racist
posted by superior julie at 8:47 PM on October 2, 2015
posted by superior julie at 8:47 PM on October 2, 2015
I don't understand how the adult can just let the kid play with a wild animal like that. They have no idea where it's been and what kind of diseases and germs it has.
posted by Nanukthedog at 10:18 AM on October 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Nanukthedog at 10:18 AM on October 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
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posted by Celsius1414 at 6:42 PM on October 1, 2015 [3 favorites]