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Origins Program at
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Baby Gorilla Is Five Months Old
The National Zoo's female baby western lowland gorilla is five months old!
In March, more than 10,000 votes were cast for one of three Swahili names, and Kibibi was the winning name. It got more than 4,000 votes. The name, pronounced kee-BEE-bee, means "little lady." Kipenzi (meaning "loved one") was a close second, and Keyah ("good health") was a distant third. Thanks to everyone who voted.
The baby is one of seven gorillas that live at the Great Ape House. Visitors can see them every day between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Celebrate the birth—adopt a western lowland gorilla!
Update From a Great Ape House Keeper–June 10
Kibibi is growing so quickly, and each day seems to present the keepers with a new surprise and more insight into her personality. She is inquisitive, bold, and determined and is certainly keeping Mandara busy these days.
The baby still travels everywhere with her mother, but has gained a tiny bit of freedom. Kibibi can often be seen sitting on the ground playing next to Mandara or pulling herself up using her mom’s hair or the nearby enclosure mesh. Kibibi continues to explore her environment in an active way. She squirms and stretches to get her hands on anything she can reach. Now that she has several teeth she, like most babies, is putting everything in her mouth.
The biggest development of the past month is that Kibibi has had some one-on-one time with both her brother Kojo and sister Kigali.
Read the rest and previous updates.
Watch a video of the mother and newborn, plus an interview with a keeper.
Primate Photo Gallery |
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Watching gorillas:
The Zoo is home to a family group of seven western lowland gorillas, three adult females, three males, and a female baby born on January 10. Two of the males are juveniles who were born here at the Zoo—Kojo, who was born in November 2001, and Kwame, who was born in November 1999. The third male, Baraka, is a silverback, born here in in 1992. Gorillas are the world's largest primates and one of our closest relatives.
Gorilla Facts | 
Meet the Gorillas | Adopt a Gorilla
Primates at the Zoo
The Zoo is home to many primates. Orangutans and western lowland gorillas can be found at the Great Ape House. Smaller primates, including golden lion tamarins,
Geoffroy's marmosets, and howler monkeys, can be found in the Small Mammal House. Look for gibbons at Gibbon Ridge and lemurs at Lemur Island. Find out where primates can be seen at the Zoo.
On mild days, the organgutans can sometimes be seen overhead as they travel along the O Line between the Great Ape House and Think Tank. The time visitors are mostly likely to see these apes on the O Line is between 11 and 11:30 a.m.
About Primates
There are 376 species of primates in the world—from humans and apes to monkeys and prosimians ("premonkeys").
The smallest primate is the pygmy mouse lemur, which can fit in the palm of your hand. The largest—the gorilla—can weigh more than 400 pounds. Most primates live in warm climates, and most depend on forests for their survival. More Primate Facts
