Related Resources
Celebrate the birth—adopt a western lowland gorilla! Adopt a Gorilla or Golden Lion Tamarin.
Human Origins Program at the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History.
March 14 Update From a Great Ape House Keeper
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| Photo by FONZ Photo Club member Janice Sveda |
This week, the Zoo's gorilla keepers observed another of the baby’s milestones. Just two months old, she already has her first four teeth! Many parents out there may think that this is fast, and while gorilla infants may be smaller than human babies at birth (four to five pounds), they develop roughly twice as fast. Gorillas begin teething between two and three months of age, while human babies don’t start to get their first teeth until about six months.
Gorillas have 32 teeth, the same as humans. In fact all old world monkeys, apes, and humans share the same 2:1:2:3 dental pattern—they have two incisors, one canine, two premolars, and three molars in each quadrant of their mouths. Gorillas also lose their baby teeth and get their “wisdom” teeth. This is just another of the many ways that we are similar!
Gorilla babies begin to explore their environment and begin to manipulate objects at three to four months of age. Mandara’s daughter has been growing increasingly interested in the things that pass through her field of sight, particularly food. For the past few weeks she has been reaching up to Mandara while she is eating, and watching keepers as we pass food through the mesh. It will be interesting to watch this behavior develop over the next few months, and to see whether she is just trying to get her hands on something or eager to test out her new teeth.
