ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Features → Natural Sciences → Animals → Mammals

Why do gorillas beat their chest? This study shows they don’t ‘bluff’

Male gorillas beat their chest to signal dominance to other males, but also their reproductive value to females.

Tibi PuiubyTibi Puiu
September 19, 2022 - Updated on June 6, 2023
in Mammals
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit
A silverback beating its chest. Credit: Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.

The sight of a gorilla beating its chest is one of the most iconic in the animal kingdom. There’s been a ton of speculation as to why these great apes engage in this behavior. Does it intimidate rivals or attract potential mates? Surprisingly, there’s been little formal evidence to confirm these hypotheses — until now.

Primatologists at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany spent more than 3,000 hours observing mountain gorillas at Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. Their observations, which were reported in the journal Scientific Reports, show that the frequency of the chest beats mirror the body size of the chest beater. Among gorillas, body size is an indicator of dominance and reproductive success, so the chest-beating can be seen as an ‘honest signal’ of these characteristics. It tells potential rivals “stay away!” and would-be mates “I’m your man!”.

One of Africa’s most emblematic sounds

Forget about King Kong for a second. Everything you know about gorillas is probably wrong anyway. When gorillas are about to beat their chest, they’ll typically stand upright and rapidly beat their chest. They won’t use their fists like you see in the movies but rather rapidly beat their chests with cupped hands in rapid succession.

The rapid thumbs can be heard over one kilometer away, although the researchers recorded these frequencies from much closer. They recorded the audio of over 500 chest beats from 25 different males between 2014 and 2016. They also photographed each male, so they could perform body measurements. Recording chest beats that can last just a few seconds proved challenging, as well as staying clear of these powerful animals that can easily reach 500 pounds.

When the researchers compared the recordings to the apes’ sizes, they found that the biggest males produced sounds with lower frequencies. This is perhaps due to the fact that larger individuals also possess larger air sacs near their larynx. Similar to an alligator’s rumble or a bison’s bellow, these low-frequency sounds could thus describe a male’s size to others without having to be close enough to convey this information visually.

“It is great that we have been able to show that body size is encoded in these spectacular displays,” says Edward Wright, the first author of the study from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany.

Previous research established that gorilla size is closely associated with social dominance and reproductive success. As such, a rival male hearing the chest beats can assess the competitive ability of the chest beater. Although male gorillas can be highly aggressive, physical confrontations between males are rare. These chest beats may be one of many ways that dominant male gorillas employ to keep contenders in line.

Although each male beat their chest an average of just 1.6 times every 10 hours, bigger, more dominant males struck their chest more often and for longer.

RelatedPosts

Koko’s compassion might show to the world that gorillas communicate
Bands of chimps attacked and killed gorillas. It’s the first time we’ve witnessed anything like this
Joking in the jungle: Apes have humor and they love teasing each other
Ebola has killed off a third of the world’s gorillas and chimpanzees
Credit:  Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.

But it’s not just other males that should take notice of a proper chest beat. Females also have plenty of good reasons to listen to these displays, which could guide them towards the most appealing potential mate. Although this particular study hasn’t studied chest-beating as a courting display, scientists know from previous observations of silverback gorillas that males beat their chests most often when females are entering estrus, the phase when the female is sexually receptive (“in heat”).

Interestingly enough, the observations also revealed a great deal of variation among males in terms of the number of beats, as well as their duration.

“This hints at the possibility that chest beats may have individual signatures, but further study is needed to test this,” says Wright.

The findings appeared in the journal Scientific Reports.

Tags: gorilla

ShareTweetShare
Tibi Puiu

Tibi Puiu

Tibi is a science journalist and co-founder of ZME Science. He writes mainly about emerging tech, physics, climate, and space. In his spare time, Tibi likes to make weird music on his computer and groom felines. He has a B.Sc in mechanical engineering and an M.Sc in renewable energy systems.

Related Posts

Biology

Gorillas self-medicate with plants. We could soon use them for our own medicine

byMihai Andrei
8 months ago
Animals

Joking in the jungle: Apes have humor and they love teasing each other

byMihai Andrei
1 year ago
Animals

Bands of chimps attacked and killed gorillas. It’s the first time we’ve witnessed anything like this

byTibi Puiu
4 years ago
Animals

Gorillas and humans treat their territory the same way, study finds

byAlexandru Micu
5 years ago

Recent news

Scientists Blasted Human Cells With 5G Radiation and the Results Are In

May 15, 2025

Orange Cats Are Genetically Unlike Any Other Mammal and Now We Know Why

May 15, 2025

Scientists Found ‘Anti Spicy’ Compounds That Make Hot Peppers Taste Milder

May 15, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Science News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Space
  • Future
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
    • Resources
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.