Like the other apes and humans, gorillas cannot swim naturally, therefore they avoid large bodies of water and rivers. However, in zoos and sometimes even in the wild, young and adult animals like to play with water.
Certain reptiles such as chameleons and caterpillars are what are gorillas scared/afraid of. They are also afraid of water and will cross streams only if they can do so without getting wet, such as by crossing over fallen logs, and dislike rain.
mountain gorillas like other primates and humans are scared of water and some insects like caterpillars and reptiles like Chameleon. Gorillas like other apes including humans find it hard to swim naturally which prompts them to desist from expanse water masses (big water bodies) like Lakes and Rivers.
You can't easily scare a gorilla, but a bit of rain can.
Most monkeys love the water, but not all can physically swim. Larger monkey species often cannot swim and have phobias of water. Still, some monkeys can swim because their fingers and toes are made in a way that lets them glide through the water.
An aversion to water is one of the most well-known characteristics of household cats. However, this isn't true of all felines. Some large cats, such as tigers, commonly take a dip to cool off or hunt prey, and even some domesticated breeds are known to enjoy a swim when the opportunity arises.
Gorillas, like the other great apes, are not born with an instinctual ability to swim. Large bodies and a dense bone structure would make it difficult, even if they did attempt it. In their daily lives, gorillas rarely encounter deep water and have evolved to survive without swimming.
Please just don't smile at a gorilla or chimpanzee. Humans, perceive smiles as being friendly. Even though gorillas and chimpanzees are also primates, they perceive smiles or showing teeth as being acts of intimidation or as a threat.
Keep a distance from gorillas
Tourists are advised to keep a distance of at least 7 meters from mountain gorillas, you cannot touch gorillas because they are wild animals except if they come near you or touch you by themselves without posing any threat. Getting close to these apes will make them to charge.
Generally, gorillas are very shy and reserved towards people. They will attack only if they are surprised or threatened or if a person behaves in the wrong way. If the human makes an unexpected movement, the silverback male can react with horrific roaring and bluff charges.
Apart from humans, gorillas don't really have enemies. The only predator to prey on gorillas is the leopard. Walter Baumgärtel found the remains of several gorillas after they had been killed by leopards in the Virunga Volcanoes.
Predators. Leopards and crocodiles are large carnivores which may prey upon gorillas. Humans are the greatest threat to all gorilla populations.
Gorillas can also get angry when you look at them directly with eye contact, for unknown reasons they will think your challenging them and will start showing signs of charging. Even screaming in the direction of mountain gorillas in their natural habitat makes them get angry.
Like humans or other wild animals, gorillas do get aggressive. However, they do so only when they feel threatened or when a silverback from another group attempts to steal one of the females. Gorillas will first attempt to warn off an intruder by making loud grunts and tearing down vegetation.
Keep your voices low and observe quietly making unnecessary noise which can threaten the peace of mountain gorillas thus feeling being threatened. Never look directly in the eyes of gorillas this makes them feel insecure. If gorilla charges at you, do not attempt to run away, it is very risk.
This signals to the gorilla that you are not a threat and that everyone can relax. These gorillas are habituated to the presence of humans, which means that they tolerate us without modifying their behaviors, seeing us as a neutral part of their environment.
So now, you've got a gorilla who most likely can catch up to all but the most elite sprinters on the planet. Conclusion: You're not outrunning the gorilla. The average gorilla is approximately six to 15 times as strong (depending on who you ask).
Yes! Generally, gorillas are known to be peaceful, gentle and friend primates and mere fact said to share 98% of their DNA with human beings. More so, Gorillas are social animals and can only became threatened towards human when they feel aggressed.
To Mountain Gorillas, anyone who keeps a direct eye contact is a challenger and an enemy who has come to disrupt the family. Direct eye contact will, therefore, trigger the silverback to charge and fight you in defense of his family. If you want peace with Gorillas, therefore, avoid direct eye contact.
Gorillas are considered highly intelligent. A few individuals in captivity, such as Koko, have been taught a subset of sign language. Like the other great apes, gorillas can laugh, grieve, have "rich emotional lives", develop strong family bonds, make and use tools, and think about the past and future.
One of the gorilla trekking rules and regulations is not to look at a gorilla in the eye. You can't make eye contact with a gorilla because a gorilla can attack you because they will feel threatened, you have to look down modestly.
Also, the gorilla is naturally very shy creatures. Like shy humans, staring directly into the eyes of gorilla make them feel uncomfortable and insecure and when disrupted by your direct eye contact, they can charge aggressively at you to defend themselves.
Gorillas may cry out as vocalizations, but they actually don't produce tears like humans do when we cry. Gorillas produce tears in order to lubricate their eyes, but tear production as a form of distress is completely unique to humans within the primate species!
Gorillas may be the largest primate on the planet, but they are very shy and display neophobia, or the fear of anything new! Because of this, they are generally timid even when curious. Despite their neophobia, they may still interact with other wildlife given the chance.