Brief communication: Maximum ingested bite size in captive western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)
Lisa M Paciulli1, Carissa Leischner2, Brooks A Lane2
1Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina.
American Journal of Physical Anthropology
|January 9, 2020
Summary
Maximum ingested bite size (Vb) in gorillas varies by food type, ranging from 166.38 cm³ for watermelon to 8 cm³ for turnips. Including gorillas in primate studies shifts the anthropoid Vb trend closer to the overall primate trend.
Area of Science:
- Primate Ecology
- Comparative Anatomy
- Biomechanics
Background:
- Maximum ingested bite size (Vb) scales isometrically in strepsirrhines and with negative allometry in anthropoids.
- Previous studies omitted great apes, limiting a comprehensive understanding of Vb scaling across the primate order.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the Vb of the entire size-range of the primate order by including great apes.
- To analyze Vb in gorillas in relation to food mechanical properties.
Main Methods:
- Studied five gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla).
- Assessed Vb across five different food types with varying mechanical properties.
Main Results:
- Gorilla Vb ranged from 8 cm³ (turnip) to 166.38 cm³ (watermelon), averaging 33.50 cm³.
- Gorillas consumed relatively smaller food volumes than predicted by primate trends.
- Inclusion of gorilla data increased the slope of the body mass vs. Vb regression in anthropoids.
Conclusions:
- The addition of gorillas brings the anthropoid Vb trend closer to the overall primate trend.
- Anthropoid Vb still exhibits negative allometry, contrasting with strepsirrhine Vb isometry.
- Future research should investigate Vb in large papionids and other great apes to bridge size gaps in primate Vb data.
