Regurgitation in gorillas: possible model for human eating disorders (rumination/bulimia)

Regurgitation and reingestion behavior in gorillas is compared with two human disorders, rumination and bulimia. Eighty-four percent of captive gorillas that are more than 5 years old regurgitate and reingest. Comparisons are made on the basis of ontogeny, context, motor pattern, and intervention. There are more similarities between regurgitation and reingestion and rumination than between regurgitation and reingestion and bulimia. Regurgitation and reingestion resembles bulimia in parental/infant separation, lack of eating control, methods of induction, and some aspects of motor pattern. Regurgitation and reingestion resembles rumination in disrupted maternal/infant communication, context of the behavior (enjoy the taste of the regurgitant), several aspects of motor pattern, and treatment (increased food volume).