Gorillas Can Sing?

Gorilla+Eating

This gorilla is eating some sort of plant most likely bamboo. Source: “KromerGorillas – 20050804 – Gorilla Eating – Philip Kromer (248)” by mrflip is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

By: Jackson Steider, Reporter

Did you know humans aren’t the only animals that hum while they work? Gorillas will sing their own Gorilla tunes and hum happily. Some Gorillas will hum a low sound close to the sound humans make, but others will actually sing mismatched notes almost like a song played backwards. They don’t sing the same song more than once and depending on how much they like the food they sing louder or softer. Just like when we say at a restaurant, give my thanks to the chef, or when we say thank you to the person who cooks the meal, gorillas will sing loud to show the head of the family that they appreciate the meal.

Gorilla Eating
“Unhappy big gorilla eating” by Tambako the Jaguar is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0 (Source: Tambako the Jaguar)

Researchers found that almost all of the gorillas in the zoo or captivity sing but in the wild, only the silverback male gorillas sing. Other monkey species don’t usually sing but they do act a lot like humans, for instance, arguing who gets to sit next to the mother or father at dinner time. This is a good example of how animals evolve and change their lifestyles to be more advanced.

RELATED STORIES:

https://www.oneearth.org/wild-gorillas-sing-happy-songs-while-they-eat/#:~:text=Each%20gorilla%20has%20its%20own,and%20no%20one%20is%20excused.

https://www.livescience.com/singing-gorillas-uganda-pbs.html

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/gorillas-hum-and-sing-while-they-eat-to-say-do-not-disturb/