It was thought that face to face sex was unique to bonobos and humans but some gorilla species (mountain and western lowland gorillas) have been observed having sex with the individuals looking directly at each other.
Male gorillas: Homosexual behaviour is observed very rarely in harem groups (occasionally during play between youngsters), but it is common in all-male groups. Silverbacks approach their (younger) partners with the vocalisations they usually produce when mating with females.
On a few occasions, mountain gorillas have been observed in ventro-ventral positions, but never photographed. Western gorillas in captivity have been known to mate face-to-face, but not in the wild, which makes this observation a noteworthy first.”
Gorillas are not monogamous, and the males' very well developed characteristics for fighting (like large muscles and teeth) suggest that their primary strategy is to fight for new mating opportunities, not to care for infants.
Mountain gorillas are very friendly and gentle animals though they are giant, muscular, intelligent and strong. Gorillas can indeed be trained and they get very close to humans like Dian Fossey who lived with mountain gorillas and had this to say “I feel more conformable being with gorillas than being around people”.
There are documented cases of apes showing extreme tenderness and care toward human children, like the 3-year-old boy who fell into the gorilla enclosure or the silverback who protected a 5-year-old boy who fell into the enclosure and even gently went away to allow human rescuers to descend into the pit and bring the ...
Unlike chimpanzees who are seen to embrace, hold hands and even kiss, gorillas are much more socially reserved.
Oral sex has been observed throughout the animal kingdom, from dolphins to primates. Bonobos have been observed to transition from a simple demonstration of affection to non-penetrative genital stimulation. Animals perform oral sex by licking, sucking or nuzzling the genitals of their partner.
The males, whether silverbacks or subordinates, will cuddle infants, play with them, welcome them into their nests, and just plain hang out with them. “I often describe it as babysitting,” Rosenbaum says. “They're incredibly tolerant,” she adds.
For them a close relationship with their father can be vital. He protects the infants and his care increases their chances of survival if their mother dies or if she leaves the group. In such a case the silverback male is usually the only one who looks after them intensively. He even allows them to sleep in his nest.
Studies propose that animals do not only enjoy having sex but also have orgasms. What is this? Moreover, it is nearly impossible to measure directly, but their facial expressions, body movements, and muscle relaxation hint at a pleasurable climax during their sexual intercourse.
Researchers believe that macaques have sex for pleasure because their sexual behavior is similar to humans. For example, macaques experience elevated heart rates and vaginal spasms when mating.
When a female gorilla is ready to mate, she will approach the dominant male slowly, make sustained eye contact and purse her lips. Should the male not respond, she will attract his attention by slapping the ground as she reaches towards him.
Such a state, he suggests, would likely have encouraged other males to attempt to mate with her. Thus, privacy, or perhaps more accurately, seclusion, allowed the male to maintain control over a sexual partner—while also allowing for continued cooperation within a group.
Probably not. Ethical considerations preclude definitive research on the subject, but it's safe to say that human DNA has become so different from that of other animals that interbreeding would likely be impossible.
It seems at least possible that our 3m-year-old ancestors also mated with ancestral gorillas and perhaps produced fertile hybrids.
“As soon as a gorilla is born, the mother's instincts kick in and she will begin to groom the baby,” Hanna told PEOPLE. “It can look a lot like human kissing! But, it looks like she is actually using her lips to groom the baby and likely did it over the baby's whole body.”
But it turns out a few animals, such as gorillas, can not only recognize familiar voices but also connect those voices to pleasant or not so pleasant memories.
Male mountain gorillas, known as silverback gorillas because of the coloring of their coats when they mature, lead cohesive families, defending females and offspring from threats by charging and beating their chests.
It seems intuitive that primates experience sexual pleasure in a similar way to humans [50,51]. Indeed, female orgasms occur in lemurs, marmosets, macaques, and apes [18,28].
Bonobos kiss for comfort and to socialise. Sometimes after a fight they even kiss and make up. We humans kiss for the exact same reasons, indicating that kissing might be ingrained deep in our DNA. How did the kiss evolve?
Can you smile at a gorilla? According to gorillas smiling shows a fear face towards them, that's why they can never ever smile at this beautiful little creature.
“Smiling” and Yawning
This is a sign of submission or appeasement and is thought to be tied to the origins of human smiling. Gorillas, particularly males, may also reveal their teeth through yawns.
Generally speaking, besides reproduction, it is very unusual for Gorillas to mate / have sex for leisure or for competition among themselves. However, the females normally mate to win favor before the dominant silverback as well as to prevent him from mating with other female gorillas in the group.