Lowland Gorilla
Details
Jonathan Kingdon (b.1937),British
Lowland Gorilla
pencil and watercolour
15¼ x 11½in. (38.7 x 29.2cm.)
Lowland Gorilla
pencil and watercolour
15¼ x 11½in. (38.7 x 29.2cm.)
Further details
Male gorillas are by far the largest living primate and their bulk is reflected in their architecture. The males defence against predators permits gorillas to live more safely on the ground than any other primate. Their mass is less apparent in captive specimens, which eat much less bulk food. Wild males often have paunches that hang almost to the ground and the rib-cage and pelvis are correspondingly splayed. Because they spend less time in the trees and more on the ground, their hands and feet are correspondingly broad and stub-fingered.