Why Do Gorillas Beat Their Chest? Experts Uncover How They Use it as a Key Signal

You might be thinking that the male gorillas beating their chest is possibly one of the most recognized instances of peacocking since peacocks themselves. However, recent research has shown that the chest-beating behavior of gorillas isn't quite as showy as initially thought.

(Photo : Getty Images)

Non-Human Communication 

Research released in the journal Scientific Report has come to the conclusion that the non-verbal method of communication is truly an honest way of representing the size of a male mountain gorilla, accurately exhibiting their competitive ability as opposed to its exaggeration.

Chest beating itself shows an interesting chapter of non-human communication, as it's not truly a vocalization but an action that is physical and can be seen and heard also. Impressively, some male mountain gorillas' hitting has carried over a kilometer displaying that females doesn't need to be in eye line of the gun show to understand its message.

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Peak Frequency  

To reach their conclusion, the researchers of the recent study made use of photogrammetry to make a record of the sound of the gorilla's chest-beating. This has the importance of not having to get up close and one on one with the incredibly strong, but also potentially harmful, male mountain gorillas in the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Volcanoes National Park, located in Rwanda.

Sadly, even this proved very challenging as they still needed to be found in the right place at the right time to be able to pick up the chest beats, which are not very long in duration.
Their results show that frequencies of the peak were quite lower in the male mountain gorillas that are bigger, while the male mountain gorilla that are smaller had a peak frequency that is higher.

Formidable Competitors 

Low-frequency sounds reach a long distance than high-frequency sounds, implying that bigger males that are likely more formidable competitors can be heard from long distances. This is helpful for gorillas that are similar-sized or smaller males that can make use of the information to make a decision if it's worth taking on a contender or discontinuing their activity and backing off. 

This is reflected in past research done by the same team that discovered larger male mountain gorillas are not just dominant socially, they also possess better reproductive success than males that are smaller.

(Photo : Getty Images)

Female Gorilla Gathers Information 

It's probably then that females too gather information from chest-beating sounds that can aid them in deciding on mates that are worthy.

Edward Wright, the first author of the study from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, said in a statement that the gorilla chest beat is one of those recognized sounds made from the animal kingdom, so it is significant that scientists have been able to reveal that body size is inscribed in these displays that are spectacular. 

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