The Insane Biology of: The Gorilla

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Credits:
Narrator/Writer: Stephanie Sammann
Writer: Ashleen Knutsen
Editor: Dylan Hennessy (www.behance.net/dylanhennessy1)
Editor: Leany Muñoz
Illustrator: Jacek Ambrożewski
Illustrator/Animator: Kirtan Patel (kpatart.com/illustrations)
Animator: Mike Ridolfi (www.moboxgraphics.com/)
Sound: Graham Haerther (haerther.net)
Thumbnail: Simon Buckmaster ( / forgottentowel )
Producer: Brian McManus ( / realengineering )
Imagery courtesy of Getty Images
[1] www.koko.org
[2] gorillafund.org/uncategorized...
[3] www.strengthlog.com/deadlift-...
[4] archive.org/details/in.ernet....
[5] anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wil...
[6] journals.physiology.org/doi/f...
[7] gorillafund.org/uncategorized...
[8] pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2843616/
[9] www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
[10] open.lib.umn.edu/vetphysioapp...
[11] pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23754...
[12] journals.plos.org/plosbiology...
[13] www.eva.mpg.de/fileadmin/cont...
[14] gorillafund.org/uncategorized...
[15] www.gorillagestures.info/index...
[16] www.koko.org/about/programs/p...
[17] www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/1...
[18] www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/...

[@onesmileybaldy8303]

I get so sad when I see Koko sad about her kitten’s death,being a reflex for a reward or not,it doesn’t remove the fact that it really feels like she was grieving

[@idcidk69420]

Koko probably has a higher IQ and emotional intelligence than most africans.

[@noahjanosko8985]

That’s a good point to prove the haters wrong too 🦍🦍

[@pyropulseIXXI]

Koko was a fraud.... or rather her communicator/trainer person was a fraud. Cannot believe people actually think a gorilla can sign language and actually know what it is saying, just like "Koko's last message" is exactly the same message the person believes in and wants to spread. Koko was a vehicle to spread the person's message

[@swites]

All mammals have the same brain emotional pathways due to evolution. Anger, aggression sadness, joy, happiness. Even guilt or feeling bad after doing something wrong . Many animals have displays/behaviours/ rituals for their dead. Why dogs pine for their dead owners etc.

[@AnOceanOnFire]

​@@pyropulseIXXI Is it really that hard to believe that an intelligent animal would be able to communicate with a human to a certain degree? Humans aren't the only intelligent things to ever exist, and I think this pedestal of intelligence we all sit on clouds our judgement. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. As a kid she probably only did it for the food, and had no understanding of anything, but later in life I do believe she did understanding what she was doing, atleast to a limited capacity.

[@flibbernodgets7018]

I think people have used Koko for their own ends and put words in her hands, so to speak, but I have seen good evidence for her intelligence. The best of these came from an anecdote about a photo where she was told to smile for the camera. She's making the "smile" sign with her hands but pouting exaggeratedly with her lips, indicating she knew what was being asked of her but wanted to be a smart-aleck about it.

[@brunobastos5533]

there are ways to check if that is true or not , Koko show abstraction and is use of sign language was consistent even teach is son that unfortunately died young

[@smolcutie1773]

Another sign of intelligence that impressed the scientists was when she referred to a bracelet as a "wrist ring" because she hadn't been taught the word bracelet so she combined the words wrist and ring.

[@segfault-]

IIRC they made a video for some sort of climate initiative with Koko and pretended she understood climate change etc and had a "message" for the people. She was highly sensationalized and her intelligence overblown. Pretty cool nonetheless.

[@brunobastos5533]

@@segfault- is that kind of maneuvers that make people doubt , but big apes are able to abstraction at some level . humans (and iam not saying we are the best) really stand apart in communication even non verbal , we are the only ones with white eye balls , and the most friendly gesture the smile is perceived as aggression to all mammals including other big apes

[@NickDBaker]

Also when she lied and said her cat was the one who ripped the sink off the wall in her enclosure 🤪

[@jamesryan3572]

You cite Hafthor Bjornsson's 501kg deadlift, and his bodyweight as 150kg. His bodyweight at the time of the deadlift was 205kg, meaning his BW ratio was less than 2.5x, not 3.3x. Making the gorillas 4.5x much more impressive.

[@eshankpanchal4121]

good to find someone who spotted that error in the video

[@wallywall9498]

Pound for pound, humans can be extremely impressive too. Tyler Atwood deadlifted 340.5kg at 74kg bodyweight, making that a 4.6x.

[@softan]

Sure but there are much smaller people with better ratios even tho their absolute strength is lower. Smaller people are generally stronger pound for pound after all.

[@cacoethes1366]

The video was full of dubious info. Quite disappointing given the name of the channel. Glossing over the widely reported fraud that was Koko was pretty unforgivable. Also, they;ve never gotten a gorila to do a deadlift, it’s just an estimate based on nothing substantial to the point that it’s practically meaningless. Sticking on a graph next to humans like it’s actual data is such bad science for the sake of clicks that I just can’t trust anything else they have to say.

[@herrigancalvera453]

not only weight but also steroids and training

[@steven95N]

Gorillas are so intelligent. I had to rewire part of the network at our local zoo a few years back. Will terminating the line into the gorilla exhibit, The Silverback decided to walk over to the barrier and just chilled and watched what I was doing. I knew not to look in his eyes to keep him comfy but I couldn't help but notice how interested he was in what I was doing. He even grabbed a stick and made motions similar to me and my line terminating tool. It was incredible. Maybe I'm thinking too much into what he was doing with the stick but he picked up a stack of grass and tapped the stick to it, as if mirroring what I'd just done with the wire.

[@mnxs]

Fascinating. I can't help but wonder, as I'm sure you have, what he was really up to. I mean, was it a form of play? Was he trying to learn from what you were doing? Mimicking for purposes of social ingratiation? So many possibilities.

[@jeweltorkelson]

That is a neat experience

[@OutrageIsNow]

You were the catalyst that led to the first futuristic great ape nuke. Thanks a lot

[@ExpandDong420]

​@@mnxsmonkey see, monkey do.

[@shawnsouth327]

If planet of the apes happens it’s your fault STEVEN 😂

[@NaturalBloom7]

It’s just funny to me how herbivores like the absolute units Hippopotamus and Gorilla have insane bite forces!

[@BeyondEcstasy]

They have to fight against other hippos and gorillas.

[@flibbernodgets7018]

it's easier to bite into meat than bamboo

[@esbeng.s.a9761]

non of them eat bambo, but pandas have a bite force on pair with lions (didn't know gorilla eats bambo

[@NaturalBloom7]

@@flibbernodgets7018 Thank you, now everything makes sense🗿

[@flibbernodgets7018]

@@esbeng.s.a9761 bamboo was mentioned several times in the video, but on going over it again I didn't find any direct statement saying they do eat it, so I misunderstood that. Point still stands, herbivores that eat tough plants need to bite good.

[@jacob_90s]

Quick note on Koko; like many I had heard about her for years, and she always seemed to be the exception whenever people would talk about communication with animal. But then about 10 years ago I came across a transcription of one of her exchanges. There was quite a bit of, shall we say, "interpretation" on her handlers part. Don't get me wrong, it was and is still an incredibly impressive feat and important step in inter special communication, but like many things in life, it was rather over hyped, and people seemed to see it more for what it could be, rather than what it actually was.

[@sirBrouwer]

A other factor might be that in her case and probably other gorillas that want to interact with humans. They themselves will likely also try to interpret what we are trying to convay to them. No doubt that they do understand that we are trying to do so. We might be studying them but those that are studied might also study back.

[@Annathroy]

There is a very well made video on said topic here on KZbin, search up : Why Koko (probably) couldn't talk (sorry)

[@dangerfly]

This Real Science video presents the handler's interpretation FIRST which creates ANCHORING BIAS. This is a common technique to create interest at the expense of science.

[@carlos66965]

@@sirBrouwer That's actually a very good point. Wish they could write about us. Oh the things they could say.

[@carlos66965]

Not saying you're wrong, but it's also fair i think to take into account that you only saw one transcript. But yes, i can see how it was probably somewhat inflated and mythologized.

[@MegaGreatdanelover]

I feel like animals shouldn’t have to be seen as intelligent or empathetic in order for us to want to save them or protect them. Most every animal is vital to the ecosystem in some way or another, like bees and fish for example. I love these videos for how informative they are on all aspects of their situation.

[@driss3946]

Found the ecologist.

[@vmx803]

Facts. Really odd to me that we try to personify animals and their actions. When an animal does something that we would consider immoral we have a tendency to try and explain the behavior. But really animals are animals and morality has no place in nature unless it confers an advantage in survival or reproduction.

[@mnxs]

​@@vmx803 This is, of course, all true. I think why we still do it is because humans are very emotional and social beings, that highly value whenever something (at least) appears to behave human-like. And while we pride ourselves on our intelligence, we are (usually) way worse at hard logic than we'd like to pretend.

[@rustykrieger7181]

We should just base it all on a scale of deliciousness and leave intelligence out of it.

[@markcynic808]

Nah. Hardly any animal is vital to any ecosystem. Most countries in the world have lost their larger animal species and ecosystems to human environments without any concerns.

[@mcnulty2794]

Koko wanting a cat is the most relatable thing. Has all her basic needs met, doesn't need a man, just a kitten 😂

[@ShaftCommander]

There’s a long weekend’s worth of shit to unpack there.

[@ZaphodOddly]

@mcnulty2794 Not super bitter are you?

[@jow3871]

They also theorized that since she was the only female this made he insecure in a sense. Gorilla's unlike humans are accustomed to unit's of multiple females to one male. So have a male as a single female who has never had a male would be an unappealing task. It'd be like if a single woman had every suiter with 10 kids, and ex in-laws

[@terrafirma5327]

@@ZaphodOddly Insecure about when women don't "need" a man, are you?

[@terrafirma5327]

@@jow3871 Great perspective, didn't think about that.

[@fatbro6948]

Thank you for making it easier to learn biology and I hope this channel keeps growing

[@gamm8939]

Yeah thanks for publishing lias.

[@alansoto7873]

I know, ive been interested in biology a couple of years but couldnt studybin a formal way, this channel helps a lot

[@MrMarinus18]

A big thing they somewhat overlooked is that gorillas, like all animals have a 50-50 gender ratio so you have a lot of non-dominant males too. Many groups over 7 females have a subordinate male called a blackback who is sort of an assistant to the dominant male. He is forbidden from mating and has to display submission but as long as he does so is accepted and also cared for. Blackbacks often help the silverback with caring for the young and often retain a lot more juvenile traits into adulthood. They kind of are the loser uncle who babysits from time to time. However most non-dominant males leave the group when they become adults. Some live on their own but they usually have friends and are part of bachelor groups. These bachelor groups have much weaker social bonds than troops but they have been shown defending each other and helping each other nonetheless. Homosexual activity between bachelor members is known as well. Most bachelor groups are 2-3 though they often mix and reform constantly. They are not really a closely knit family like the troops but more so a friend group.

[@KPH1992]

Check this video about gorilla facts: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l6LaaZiihNyDi80

[@maltheopia]

I love gorillas. They have such a sophisticated, refined natural expression on their faces. Gorgeous lifeforms.

[@KPH1992]

I made a gorilla facts video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l6LaaZiihNyDi80

[@SMG2fanatic]

I laughed my ass off when that gorilla fell off the log. Love how the narrator doesn’t skip a beat 😂

[@terramater]

Great apes are so fascinating, and it's so sad to see how many species are endangered, and we aren't making their lives easy. Our team got on camera the work of an orangutan organisation that aims to reintegrate orangutans kept in captivity. In the clips, you are able to see that the rehabilitation work takes years before these great apes are ready to go back to the wild. The images of the orangutan being released bring up so many emotions. We need to learn more about this amazing creatures and fight to protect them.

[@kirani111]

Love your channel Terra Mater!

[@markcynic808]

Waste of time as there's an ever shrinking amount of " wild " for them to inhabit.

[@KPH1992]

You should check this video about gorilla facts out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l6LaaZiihNyDi80

[@evilferris]

Robin Williams telling about the time he spent with KoKo the gorilla said that she signed to her trainer, "I'd like to take him in the back now." Robin said the trainer told him, "if she takes you back there I can't help you." RIP the both of them.

[@evananderson1455]

In Koko's defense, Robin was an extremely hairy man. I can understand why she might have mistaken him for another gorilla....lol

[@Navesblue]

😳 so how’d he manage to genie his way out of THAT Arabian Night?

[@OhOkayThenLazySusan]

I was disappointed that it was not acknowledged in the introduction that many believe Koko's level of ability to communicate was overblown. I didn't know we were even going to come back to the topic. I still kind of am, because if someone watches that introduction and doesn't watch the whole video, they're basically receiving misinformation. But, the author does acknowledge this in the last portion of the video and is, I believe, spot-on with their conclusive thought. It's not that nothing was revealed during that research. But the interpreters were definitely drawing a lot of conclusions based on what they wanted or expected. The truth is definitely somewhere in between. And I love the idea that it would be helpful to also learn their 'language' along the way. Great video as always with this channel.

[@Misclaneous]

Can we not trust people to watch the whole video? I think it's perfectly reasonable to explain things as she has done here. If you're going to spend your life thinking you've learned things from introductions, expect to be misinformed.

[@MrCartoonlife]

If you watched just part of the video and formed your opinion. Or you do this with anything. Then the presenter isn’t giving misinformation someone isn’t listening

[@MrCartoonlife]

And in a way yeh they’re receiving the wrong information but it’s their own fault for not listening to the whole thing

[@cimi93x]

It wasn't overblown it was straight up fabricated for publicity.

[@TrabberShir]

@@MrCartoonlife User error is myth as much in communication as it is in software. The user getting no information is equivalent to not having been exposed to the material and thus an acceptable outcome from disinterest. False information leaves the user worse off for engaging with the content and deciding they are not interested than they would have been by not engaging at all. Avoiding that trap is a major focus of traditional rules for journalistic writings. As an educational creator, it is something that this creator should be aware of and trying to avoid as well so dekimyay's comment is hopefully noticed by the team. On the other hand, this video could, and probably should have been made without focusing on Koko in my opinion because no matter what was said, someone would accuse them of spreading misinformation due to how controversial the project was/is.

[@mvw9078]

There is no doubt of Koko's intelligence, but I think you're right in saying it may be best for us to try and learn the language of her species, rather than try and get them to learns ours. It is assuredly more difficult, but would certainly lead to a better understanding of what they may be trying to communicate with us. The world is such a beautiful place populated by fascinating, and strikingly intelligent animals. To think we may be able to communicate with them one day in some meaningful way is such a lovely prospect.

[@LIVEFRMNYC]

In theory, a gorilla should be the easy to communicate with, because they have similar senses as us. Most other animals have such superior senses compared to us, it's like they are living in a completely differ world. We can't see, hear, smell, or feel what many other animals can.

[@tomlxyz]

​@@LIVEFRMNYC I don't think the senses part is that important now that we have the technology to sense those for us.

[@wanderdhollander7374]

As a biochemist, I laughed very hard with seeing 'very complicated', when going from fatty acids to protein

[@raulzavala4546]

Is it?

[@tematrixmayhem]

Not a biochemist, I laughed very hard at 10:03

[@robertmeadowfield4346]

yeah me too, you can make amino acids from carbohydrates from which you take the carbon skeleton and then put amino groups on it, but you can't make amino acids from fatty acids

[@differentfins]

Great video! I love how you acknowledged that human deadlift record is 501 kg which is impressive and Hafthor weighed about the same as a mature male silver back but yes we are built different. I also laughed out loud when that gorilla slipped and fell off the log at the 10:03 mark.

[@kuntamdc]

I rewatched that like 5 times hahaha

[@Thomas998822]

Yeah and Hafthor took steroids and thousands of hours of weight training, so its no where near a fair comparison

[@SakuraWulf]

Even gorillas have strokes.

[@filippetrula1234]

I just wonder what 80kg man struggle with 80kg deadlift 🤷 benchpress if you are not working out sure but deadlift?

[@differentfins]

@filippetrula1234 good point. Even the average (healthy young) man should be able to deadlift 1.5x their body weight even without training.

[@kevinratay8285]

I wish I had videos like these in school. They're a million times more attentive than a textbook or a teacher that either talked too fast to understand or too slow to stay awake.. They would've stimulated my brain to want more as they do today at 40 years old. Even more importantly, I wouldn't have to be embarrassed to raise my hand for help. I'm able to hit rewind as many times needed to comprehend. Really awesome work! Thanks

[@Anarchyttg]

Koko's caretakers are also famous for doctoring events so they could push a message. Koko was used for her ability to mimic

[@ExpandDong420]

The thing I love about gorillas is that you immediately look at them and can't see how we're so closely related, until you look at their eyes and understand it completely

[@jecellefetzer8716]

I think this is a prime example that humans struggle accepting we will never exactly understand other perceptions we have never experienced, no matter how much it closely we observe them

[@duarteconchinhas]

Great video!! Minor correction, you said the heaviest deadlift in history is 501 kg, 3.3x hafthor bjorson body weight. Although the first part is true, the second is not, he weighted around 200kg when preforming the lift and also, he was wearing a force belt and straps which a gorilla would not

[@TDREXrx9]

Plus all the training and nutrition could you imagine what a yolked gorilla could get with years of hitting the gym

[@warpman74]

@@TDREXrx9 Hahaha, I find the mental image of a gorilla hitting the gym hillarious! Thanks for the laugh!

[@chris_jorge]

@@TDREXrx9 and anabolic steroids

[@davidcrosthwaite]

Does the belt actually make the lift easier or just reduce the likelihood of injury?

[@duarteconchinhas]

@@davidcrosthwaite although not a lot, it improves core stabilization via proprioceptive feedback, which helps you to correct the breathing pattern and the movement itself. The strength gains are not impressive, but it definitely helps

[@brucebufton899]

What a great video, most hilarious part was when she threw in the "this is how gorillas get so yolked" 😂

[@Young_Midoriya]

Man that was hilarious 😂

[@Jacopopitaciu]

This is the video I have been looking for a very long time, and finally it's here!! This dissertation over gorillas is simply amazing. Thank you..great job 🙌🙌🙌

[@chromiumex2384]

The whole koko the gorilla speaking sign language has been thouroughly disproved

[@truefluekiller]

I can not express how much I enjoy these videos. I love how scientifc and deep they are, truely unique. Thank you!

[@thecanadiandane7262]

I’ve been doing some personal research on ape communication, and I really don’t think they can use language in the same way humans can. To ask meaningful questions, to externalize thought processes, etcetera. More importantly, I also think that it shouldn’t matter. A gorilla shouldn’t have to have the capability to ask you how your day at work was to be considered an intelligent, emotional, and important individual. We need to be seeing how we can communicate WITH them instead of trying to force them to communicate on our terms. They’re much more focused on their incredibly complex emotional relationships with each other and themselves than the mysteries of the universe, we should respect that fact.

[@mnxs]

Of course. However, the interest in these things, I believe, is really (from a scientific perspective anyway) the wish to try and quantify _what_ their intelligence is, and how sophisticated it is, and how we can even quantify that sophistication - as you say, they are gorillas, not humans. Our wider, non-scientific tendency to try and anthropomorphise everything certainly isn't good, though.

[@FelixstoweFoamForge]

Superb and informative video! Oh, and I loved the "strength comparison" graphics, very "Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy" in style..

[@davegoud]

Awesome as usual!!! When I saw the thumbnail, I thought that maybe you might have gone down the MYH16 gene theory...which is the gene that has mutated in humans making us "weak-jawwed" compared to all other primates. It is thought that this gene deficiency had a role in humans developing larger brains. Something to look into if you are interested and how it was discovered is even more fascinating.

[@KPH1992]

Gorillas are awesome. You should check this video about gorilla facts out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l6LaaZiihNyDi80

[@westcoastwilly6261]

Such a good dive into gorillas. I would have loved a couple seconds explaining why they evolved to be so massive, and how far back we diverged from them, though.

[@user-xd1cm9vu9s]

gorillas are my favourite primates. they’re gentle, smart, strong, beautiful, and overall fascinating animals. i would love to see a gorilla in the wild

[@kathryncarter6143]

I so would have loved to talked to Coco. I think she was communicating appropriately & decisively. She showed her sadness when the cat died. There was no treat or reward in sharing that thought.

[@deathpop4585]

Was just talking to my friends about the gorillas insane gut biome. Glad the team at Real science are putting it in video form 👏

[@iracingrookie3301]

Sure you was

[@martijn9568]

​@@iracingrookie3301 Never doubt a nerd on the internet. Except dor that 'friends' part. We don't do that here😉

[@baashi3578]

Silverbacks are some of the most majestic creatures out there. Great learning more about them. Thank you Stephanie and Real Science team.

[@compresswealthdivideeconom3757]

Was Koko ever asked if she wanted to give birth? We missed out on a great experiment. Had she given birth to several and she then taught her young the sign language, perhaps they could have slowly been let in the wild and we'd have them all speaking with their hands by now. They could become our friends.

[@Bobogdan258]

They tried to find her a mate

[@JTD472]

There’s at least 3 reasons why that wouldn’t be possible

[@Pushing_Pixels]

That's the real test when it comes to primates learning sign language. Teach two of them and see if they start using it with each other, or whether it's only used in response to human prompts. I wonder if this has been done yet?

[@vasudev6960]

Intellegent women have trouble finding mates. As concluded by one human study.

[@mateusmakrov]

​@@vasudev6960 humm😂

[@reubenkearns5417]

I find it so interesting how badass gorillas are. Such cool and interesting creatures.

[@arshiaebi]

Today i learned that gorillas are perfect gym bros

[@charlie15627]

Wow, that 98% sounds quite telling... until you realize that we have 98% in common with the door mouse as well.

[@sirBrouwer]

We even share about 50% DNA with a banana.

[@josecarlosmoreno9731]

This is the problem with popular science, that it misrepresents actual studies/findings/etc in order to best appeal to audience interests/desires. People who like animals will start from the view that animals are human-like and then popular science channels will appeal to this bias by emphasizing similarities in a manner that falsely implies cognitive similarity to humans. This video for example starts off with the case of Koko as an example of gorilla intelligence being similar to human intelligence even though Koko is a well proven fraud and case of animal cruelty.

[@charlie15627]

@@josecarlosmoreno9731 This whole 98% thing has also been widely used to promote the idea that we evolved from apes. When we have a 98% similarity with all mammals. It’s very misleading. We even have something like 97% similarity with cockroaches. All living creatures have the same basic building blocks. That doesn’t mean that we came from one another. If anything, it suggests that we were all built by the same creator.

[@josecarlosmoreno9731]

@@charlie15627 ​ God creating the world and evolution are not mutually exclusive, idk why Americans (a lot of the strangest "Christian" denominations seem to be American) have this weird idea. The evidence, be it genetic, developmental, fossil, etc, is overwhelmingly in support of evolution and the human place in it. This doesn't contradict Christianity at all. The only theological question is when ensoulment happened for all humanity. Christ's kingdom is Truth, Truth is determined by Reason and Revelation, to study the natural world is to study God's creation, and therefore to reject scientific findings is to reject both Truth and God's creation. "Christians" who reject evolution reject God as creator of the world, for why else would the evidence prove evolution if not because of God? They also reject Truth as evolution is born of Reason along with the evidence, and therefore they reject God.

[@charlie15627]

@@josecarlosmoreno9731 What “evidence”?

[@TrabberShir]

16:25 Saying her sign language has been debunked is a bit strong for most of the claims I think you are referencing. The claims are better summarized as "the Koko project was not handled in a way that produced useful data" anecdotes make great stories, but bad data. The ability of a gorilla to learn ASL has not been debunked, but the claim that the ability has been clearly demonstrated has. With the data actually gathered, it is possible Koko was somewhat fluent in ASL, it is equally (or more) possible that her signage was simple Pavlovian training.

[@cimi93x]

it was absolutely debunked multiple times lol

[@farexponent9173]

​@@cimi93xNo, it hasn't been fully debunked. It seems likely Koko was able to communicate partially through sign language but wasn't at the level that the care taker implied. To make the claim that this stuff has been debunked is equally as bad as saying it hasn't been debunked. It's easier to assume both sides are correct and wrong. Was Koko able to communicate what she wanted? Likely, yes. Was she fluent? No, probably not. Personally I feel like Koko was somewhere in between a dog and a human in the way she was able to communicate. It's basically impossible to tell though.

[@calisto490]

THANK YOU someone in this comments section that knows how to interpret data lol. Koko's case is indeterminate, not false :')

[@farexponent9173]

@@calisto490 Did you ever hear about the study they did a long time ago where these scientists raised their child with a chimp to see what would happen. They never finished the study but we learned a lot of interesting things. They ended the study prematurely as it was having negative consequences to their child. Worth looking into.

[@calisto490]

@@farexponent9173 haha yeah I'm actually an anthropologist it's a widely known case study :)

[@adamkrauss303]

So interesting and your well thought out and articulate narration is superb!

[@elliotfitzgerald8950]

I know many stories about Koko are fabricated to get attention, but there are a few stories that really exemplify her real intelligence. For example: a soldier once visited Koko and asked for her autograph. Koko signed back, “Sure, if I can have yours.”

[@cimi93x]

and how many times before that did she sign some nonsense which they brushed off as "oh she's just being shy/nervous"?

[@minoadlawan4583]

ha!

[@gaulxtraining5444]

Yes, gorillas are insanely strong, but deadlifting is a poor comparison for strength given that gorillas have such short legs. With stubby legs and super long arms, they're essentially built for deadlifting. The forces required for them to lift something up in a deadlifting position are comparably small to humans

[@joschistep3442]

Yes! We are strong too! 💪😎

[@seracohW]

I love how some people are so insecure, that they will deny an animals brilliance.

[@Annathroy]

I've always wanted to know how these strong primates came to be when intelligence for us meant usually weaker physical bodies

[@maximusprimus0437]

Let’s goooooo 0 hour gang

[@mac9927]

They got me counting down the minutes lol

[@cliftonreid1198]

Wooooo

[@dean8315]

wahoooo

[@agnosticmuslim6341]

Just made it. Let's go!

[@misaajenakrivan401]

Ez

[@bxchicc7799]

I absolutely LOVE Gorillas ❤🦍 this video was very informative and as well as enjoyable. Love learning anything about these beautiful majestic beasts🫶🏽🦍

[@anastasiasokolov332]

those cuddles 😂❤ awww real love

[@Davethreshold]

Thank you for another great video. As you talked about language, I fantasized about them signing, "Leave our habitat alone!" 🖤

[@robertwayne352]

Yet another great video! I enjoyed learning. 🙂

[@christianfulton3918]

Thank you for this amazing video. The work this team does on this channel is second to none.

[@russellknight7729]

Your vids always educate & entertain. Great work.

[@chemchaos787]

Some of the best content on all of KZbin. Keep it up!

[@sapelesteve]

Excellent video! While much of what Koko was able to do can be attributed to anthropomorphism, it still does not negate the fact that she was able to alter her signing and express her own thoughts. She was indeed a very special Gorilla! 👍👍🐵🐵

[@Sambochini]

comparing thors max deadlift to a gorilla is a bit benign. He has insane genetics, has been assisted by years of steroid use and has trained for that excercise for many years. Imagine if a gorilla could do the same amount of training... imagine how heavy they could go.

[@vampyberry]

Gorillas train for entire lives tho not necessarily in deadlift but they are not like average human.

[@johnhoney5089]

@@vampyberry Gorillas are one of the less active apes. They don't work out in the trees as much as chimps, and a significant portion of the day is spent sleeping and socializing (the siesta) and an additional 11 hours are for feeding. Their musculature is in part due to their myostatin gene differing from humans. Humans with a copy of the gene closer to other apes are jacked as children.

[@Jizzlewobbwtfcus]

I actually learnt more about Gorillas, Great White Sharks and Hammerhead sharks from this channel than even the BBC David Attenborough nature documentaries have taught me. SUPERB channel. You should be proud. New subber : ]

[@pamaerysovershares7373]

My favourite thing is how much they are just chilling out and enjoying life, playing, just living their best lives 😅 love that so much

[@sivertsolheim366]

I would think part of why gorillas are so much stronger than humans is because they rely on physical abilities to survive. They walk on all fours and climb trees (i assume), while the average human drives to the office, does office things for 8 hours, makes dinner, watches TV and sleeps.

[@alengm]

My favorite episode so far. Can't wait for an episode about whale language

[@cassandrastone2157]

Me and my daughter have been on a science kick . We love these videos rn . I learned before work today that orchas used to have back legs and now that’s all I’m thinking about 😂

[@jeanm182]

Great video, I really enjoyed it, please do more about the other great apes 🤞🏽🤞🏽

[@TesserId]

KZbin's been suggesting this one to me for a while. I've been resisting it. Well, it finally sank in; did you want people to think what would happen if there was a throw down between a grizzly and a gorilla? Now I want to hear from those who could speak to what it would take to make it a peaceful, and yes, touching encounter.

[@Dave_of_Mordor]

raise them together. that's literally the only way to make it peaceful

[@yuvikagupta9318]

Wow! nature never fails to amaze me.... really hope we learn more about interspecific communications

[@scouvs6086]

could you maybe do a video about the biology of flying fish would be kinda cool :D

[@vedantmanjarekar8983]

This channel is doing a great job with animation to explain everything from how and why animals have their superhuman strength , digestive system , lifestyle patterns and all about biology of living beings. Great stuff!! 👏👏❤

[@samicherif8796]

Rip koko, i heard about her in a “bill burr” joke, and i thought it cannot be possible, i am still in awe by what she learned and expressed ❤️

[@garymartinez8494]

You're right because it's not possible

[@BLove0]

Hey i remember seeing Dr. Robin Morrison on Maya Higa's Conservation cast! Love to see that. good video

[@freddyjosereginomontalvo4667]

Awesome video about majestic creatures.

[@Sheamu5]

Joe Rogan's been real quiet since this video dropped

[@regalherbsman5938]

I'm stoned and the ape @ 4:48 made me LOL

[@KonradvonHotzendorf]

Ahoi🐾

[@tekamer6566]

I needed this video so much.

[@Roselvet]

Really amazing work on your videos. I watch them on Nebula, where I can't like/comment, so I'll do it here! Real Science and Real Engineering is what every science-related channel should aspire to! 😊 👏👏

[@ironman5034]

when talking about the Dian Fossey please mention it's location rwanda, they are trying very hard (rwanda) to make the gorillas safe and grow in numbers, tourists going there pay and the money goes to gorilla conservation, thanks

[@RyzawaVT]

I love Koko's story, always makes me want a friendimal. Such fascinating creatures.

[@BubblesBear17]

I definitely feel like we could explore more on wether or not gorillas are capable of using our language well in a similar way that's currently happening with dogs. Currently, 2 dogs are well known for it now. Bunny and Stella. They are known for communicating human language with their owners through speech buttons. And both of them are also known for using it spontaneously towards us to communicate things they weren't ask to communicate. For instance, Bunny has communicated what she dreamed about while she was sleeping. I think both Bunny and Stella are being investigated and researched to see how much of it is true genuine communication and such. I feel like we could use those buttons for gorillas and other apes as well. I think sign language can be something that involves lot of interpretation. These buttons always speak the same words and so there's nothing to interpret there. We know what they're trying to say. I think we'd book more succes on trying to understand a gorilla's communication skills towards us with those buttons than with sign language.

[@TundeEszlari]

Perfect video.

[@maksillorenzo9480]

The sad thing is that Koko was a circus trick, who never actually knew ASL. There was never a true scientific study done on Koko, the scientist that kept her never had any real documents published to prove her intelligence. The famous last words video from Koko is a great example of showing how unintelligent she really was. It’s a bunch of random words edited and cut together to make a vague sentence. One of the basic steps to learning language is speaking on your own when not being observed by other people (babies and toddlers do this all the time) and Koko never once did this. Ever single sign Koko ever signed was prompted by a human trainer. Koko was a circus trick who did what she knew would result in her getting a food reward. And they tricked us all. There’s a reason the government doesn’t fund animal human communication studies anymore, it’s a fruitless task. The longest sentence ever signed by a primate was basically “meet want orange, give me orange” a bunch of times. Koko was simply a more advanced version of this trick. Truly disheartening.

[@MaxPower-vf8kt]

Agreed!!! It drives me crazy that people give her owner so much attention, when she kept her locked in a shitty office trailer. People don’t understand that “caring” for an animal, doesn’t equate to proper husbandry for the animal. Back to ASL and languages, Kanzi, the Bonobo, is probably the closest to language use, using a picture board/lexigram. And proper tests done. The lady seems a little out there who has done the studies, but it’s far more “scientific” than what happened to Koko. As an example, Kanzi would point to ball and the colour red, to mean tomato, but also apple. The picture board the turned to a device that spoke, then the pictures became abstract, IE a circle with a line through it, could mean “Red.” Kanzi would eventually figure it out. After associating the words, the trainer would cover their face, or be behind a wall and not visible, and ask for a “Ball” or showing the symbol for Ball, which could be an “X”, and Kanzi would go get the Ball. When a young Bonobo joined in the study, it started to pick up the language and Kanzi would use it to communicate. The humans just let it happen. There were other bonobos in the study, but Kanzi was the only one that seemed truly interested in wanting to learn. Unfortunately, the animal doesn’t look like it is getting the proper exercise/care, and is rather fat and unhealthy looking.

[@hamstersmash]

Thank you 😊 I feel like this video was in response to my nagging to cover this topic haha, interspecies communication is so fascinating and unreal, love it

[@whoisjohnwick]

Listened to tis falling asleep and just woke up from an intensely uncomfortable dream where i adopted a gorilla family into my 4x3 bedroom and then somehow only after buying them did it occur to me how intensely problematic and dangerous this was.

[@apap4606]

Would it be possible to implement some of those cellulose-eating bacteria into a human gut biome?

[@masterbruce556]

This is the question we all need answered. I know we can do that between humans, but since gorillas are similar to us, idk.

[@turbo8628]

​@@SlinkyDrinky a reliance on 18kg of food a day sounds like it would make the problem worse if anything.

[@hunterG60k]

How anyone can see apes interacting with each other, never mind humans; using tools and sign language; *know* that we share 99% of our DNA with them, and STILL deny their sentience is frickin' mind-blowing to me! Human brains *are* ape brains and they didn't just pop into existence a few thousand years ago; they share most of their evolutionary history with those other ape brains. They have all the same parts, just varying in size and proportion, and connected slightly differently. Human exceptionalism stretches to the ridiculous at times in trying to deny our similarity to other animals.

[@cesaralcaraz819]

Fr, some don’t like the fact that humans are animals at the end of the day.

[@viewer-of-content]

People have also conversed with Prairie Dogs they have complex nowns and adjectives to describe clothing, animals, and people's characteristics

[@WhatWouldVillainsDo]

I'd have to say I'm a educated fighter, as a child it was thought that I was possibly a dwarf and was sent to a specialist and they doctors ran test and said I was going to be about average height but much more muscular than most people. It turned out to be true and even when I weighed 170 lbs I could curl 100lbs one arm pretty consistently, I kind of have a pronounced brow with a pretty heavy ridge were my eyebrows are. I spent sometime street fighting and I can say that even human males size each other up by looking at someone's brow and forearms. You can get a idea of how strong a guy is by looking at these as a metric. Even if someone's not as large as you but has the brow you can tell they can take more damage than you can before giving up. Features that would be similar to what is called Acromegaly almost I'd say is one thing people look for before a fight. At 5'8 and 200 lbs if I'm up and working I have to consume 4k+ calories a day and I've been as high as 7k and was almost still losing weight.

[@kanojo1969]

The most interesting thing about gorilla sign-language is what they *don't* ever talk about. No signing animal has ever asked 'who am i' or 'what am i', they can ask for food or cuddles, but they never ask 'why am I here?' or 'where do you go when you leave?'. These kinds of questions are the crucial difference between humans and other animals. I'd like to think dolphins and/or whales are perhaps capable of such things, but gorillas, monkeys, and parrots definitely aren't.

[@johnhoney5089]

Depends. If the sign language claims are in fact hoaxes, as many are claiming, then they wouldn't get to ask those questions anyway. However, I have heard about orangutans "asking" it before, so perhaps they should be looked into. I also think it depends on the individual. Members of a single ape family seem to differ widely in intellect. The gorilla Gentaro outdoes chimpanzees in intelligence experiments - his mother Genki on the other hand performs poorly.

[@raheem201231]

It took humans 30,000. Millions of myths and gods to get to this point. You cannot expect that level of question off the rip.

[@chinapossum]

Alex the african grey parrot once asked "what colour am I?"

[@turbo8628]

They lack the language to ask those questions, regardless of them having the thoughts or not. Also, why would you ask a human these questions when we clearly don't have those answers either.

[@SA-wu4lv]

Only the bottlenose dolphin is considered to be smarter than a pig. Abstract thinking used to be considered solely a human trait, but for example parrots and bees have understood that zero is less than one during calculation tasks.

[@Daeon108]

I wonder if its possible to do a transfer of the gut bacteria from one organism to another. Would be pretty interesting if you were able to pass on the ability to process cellulose to others. Sure you likely wouldnt be able to eat raw wood, but maybe a pre-pulped version? Feel like that could have alot interesting applications

[@ItzCoopzFtw]

Nah we're good. That's how viruses come about, we've already had one this century, wait for next century.

[@Thornvm]

You might be able to slightly digest fiber, however I believe it’s the fact their secum is much more adapted to do that for them than ours,

[@ericwaltrip6184]

Great work Stephanie

[@dontfearthereaper2887]

Flesh eating human: "you don't eat meat? you must be so weak!" Gorilla: come here, let me show you how weak I am

[@daniell1483]

Considering how much Koko's "language" skills have been debunked, I think it is a mistake to include that in the video. So much of her signing was random gibberish as to be functionally useless. I'm sure that gorillas have their own communication skills, but sign language simply isn't one of them.

[@lawka2699]

Koko is cool but she's been demoted from being an eligible study argument point for years now... if you don't know, just look into the making of "Koko's message to the world about peace". It's not bad that it's staged, it's bad that it was reported as not being staged. :(

[@PAT3K3]

Koko didnt speak and couldnt read, i expected more scientific accuracy from this channel

[@JohnBaur-kf8eu]

You are awesome at this.. you make people want to listen good job

[@WileHeCoyote]

It seems impossible to argue that coacoa "didn't really" understand what she was signing. At the VERY LEAST can we agree that every dog in the world knows those concepts like food or kisses or toys and will invoke their equivalent sign or language for food or kisses when they want em. That's All our language is, we just have extra steps and fancy nuances

[@_aullik]

Its like arguing a kind or a mentally disabled person is not understanding what it is saying.

[@gamm8939]

Watch Soup Emporiums video on it. The scientific community is almost certain that Koko didn't really understand what we saying, and could not actually talk.

[@Vagitarian01]

The way this video framed Koko's communication was pretty biased. They explained all the things Koko 'said' then at the end footnoted it with "but there are critics". 🙄

[@jasonreed7522]

I definitely agree, language fundamentally is a means of communication. My dog only really needs to communicate basic emotions, a desire for food (everyone with cats knows how demanding they are of their regularly scheduled meals), and to go outside/come inside. (Usually to go to the bathroom, but she knows that sitting by a door will lead to her being let out, and standing at a particular window will let get back inside. She is even capable of lieing by asking to go out so you will stand up and walk over to the door, and then she walks past you and steals your seat.) Something that not everyone appreciates is that language exists primarily to communicate around our needs, its just humans have invented new needs like math, expression of complicated emotions, planning for the distant future, ect. I think the real test for if gorillas who know sign language actually treat it as a language or a tool for manipulation of humans to get treats would he to teach an entire pack of gorillas sign language and then note if they use it with eachother or just with humans, and do they teach it to their children? (Maybe not everyone would take it as definitive proof but i think it would make a strong case for or against depending on if the used it with eachother)

[@gamm8939]

@@jasonreed7522 Most of the scientific work supports the argument that Gorillas use it as a tool for manipulation.

[@internetexplorer6097]

There’s a lot of Koko’s around my neighborhood, they’re always throwing trash on the ground and yelling at each other

[@lrighttobewhite]

👌🏻🖖🏻

[@anthonyproffitt5341]

@@Tonysopranoyafinook I guess you haven’t seen the rest of the world. The world is full of folks who lack the ability to communicate peacefully.

[@voidnimbus]

PLEASE, make one of this series about the Peregrine Falcon! It's my favorite animal and his "hardware" is absolutely ridiculous

[@littlecatdude7192]

Love this video! It's amazing

[@JayThandi]

Apes (not just primates have shown signs of keeping pets like dogs). We have evolved to speak, but once upon a time our ancestors probably would have communicated through gestures, facial expressions, grunts and posture/body language. I think Koko found her way to communicate what she wanted/needed which is an incredible feat. They should try teaching more gorilla's and see if they can use sign to communicate amongst themselves

[@kung-fukennyfamily]

Animals can be one true friend of a human being, Dont hurt them ever.

[@kilotun8316]

6:45 Bro on the right is such a mood, being all "I'm too silverback to get riled up about this".

[@visavo]

Thank you !!! I love your channel

[@purpledevilr7463]

I think the “eye hat” is enough evidence to say yeah, it’s adequate understanding.

[@rowankrencik]

Factual error, Coco didn't actually understand Sign Language, and fundamentally didn't understand human concepts

[@rowankrencik]

Source? I do, in that I DO use ASL every day, this is one of the first things you learn in ASL 101

[@gamm8939]

@@rowankrencik Soup Emporium has a pretty good video on it. Yes its pretty long but the summary is this: Koko could not actually talk, it was far closer to a dog understanding that if he does certain things, he gets a snack. The researcher who worked with Koko is also not taken seriously by most of the scientific community, since she does not publish her actual work and forced all employees that worked with Koko to sing a NDA.

[@orchdork775]

​@@rowankrencik You should look it up on KZbin. There's a popular video essay that challenges the claims made about it and provides some intriguing information and evidence that KoKo couldn't speak sign language. KoKo was said to string multiple words together to convey complex things, like her thoughts and emotions, not just sign food when she was hungry. Simply knowing how to sign a bunch of nouns and verbs isn't enough to qualify as being able to communicate in a language. You have to be able to string these things together to convey something deeper and more complex.

[@rowankrencik]

@@gamm8939 I deduced she couldn't understand human language when she signed "rhymes" with signs that don't really mean the same thing and don't really work because she didn't know anything she was saying from the outset

[@gamm8939]

@@rowankrencik Yeah because in ASL, things dont rhyme the way they do in spoken English.