ETYM An African word; found in a Greek translation of a treatise in Punic by Hanno, a Carthaginian.
(Homonym: guerrilla).
Largest anthropoid ape; terrestrial and vegetarian; of forests of central west Africa; SYN. Gorilla gorilla.
Largest of the apes, Gorilla gorilla, found in the dense forests of West Africa and mountains of central Africa. The male stands about 1.8 m/6 ft, and weighs about 200 kg/450 lbs. Females are about half the size. The body is covered with blackish hair, silvered on the back in older males. Gorillas live in family groups; they are vegetarian, highly intelligent, and will attack only in self-defense. They are dwindling in numbers, being shot for food by some local people, or by poachers taking young for zoos, but protective measures are having some effect.
Gorillas construct stoutly built nests in trees for overnight use. The breast-beating movement, once thought to indicate rage, actually signifies only nervous excitement. There are three races of the one species: western lowland, eastern lowland, and mountain gorillas.