Thursday, April 1, 2010

GORILLAS.

GORILLAS are the largest living primates.

The DNA of GORILLAS is 98-99% identical to that of humans.

I read an essay by Michael Crichton about going to see GORILLAS in Rwanda.  It was a very good essay.

Mountain GORILLAS (Gorilla beringei beringei) live in the Albertine Rift montane cloud forests of the Virunga volcanos.  Mountain GORILLAS are the darkest colored GORILLAS of all the types of GORILLAS.  They also have the thickest hair.  Researchers discovered that some 800,000 years ago Mountain GORILLAS evolved from Eastern GORILLAS.  No Mountain GORILLA has ever survived captivity.

The word GORILLA is derived from the Greek Gorillai which means "a tribe of hairy women" (unless Wikipedia is lying to me).

GORILLAS move around by knuckle-walking.  GORILLAS all have individual fingerprints.  (Like us!)

GORILLAS live to be between 30 and 50 years old.

GORILLAS use tools in the wild.  GORILLAS are Hominidae.

Threats to GORILLAS include habitat destruction and bushmeat trade.  Other threats include disease and war.

I am celebrating Easter by going to see GORILLAS.

I am going to love the GORILLAS that I get to meet. I already love them, just thinking about them.  LOVE them.  Love.

It's a fucking charmed life I lead.