I Heart Gorillas

[poliphilo]

There was a picture in the paper yesterday of a wild Gorilla wading through a stream. And the big news is that she was using a walking stick.

As the author of the accompanying article, Desmond Morris, said, what we are seeing here is the beginnings of "gorilla technology".

Does this mean that if gorillas are left alone (which they won't be) they will eventually (after several million years) get round to inventing the wheel, the toasting fork and the electric door chime?

Yes. Probably.

Gorillas are peaceable creatures. Vegetarian too. Just imagine the civilisation they might have created if they'd got to the walking stick before us.

Comments

[jackiejj.livejournal.com]

Isn't it gorillas who also carry toolkits with them when they go off to invade termite mounds? They take along a big stick to punch holes in the mound and a smaller stick to extricate the termites.

We've made such a mess. If we'd never learned to smeldt, maybe we, too, could live uncluttered lives with only an assortment of sticks.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure. I thought that was Bonobos, but I could be wrong.

But if we'd never learned metal-working there'd be no space ships and no Jean Luc Picard.

[manfalling.livejournal.com]

damn fine point, succinctly made...

[arielstarshadow.livejournal.com]

Chimps will do that - put the stick down into the insect mounds (I think they do it with ants, too), and then lick the insects off of the stick when they pull it out.