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A wildlife photographer captured the intense moment a silverback gorilla beat his chest just meters away from a guest on a safari trip. It’s since gone viral on TikTok.
The video, which has since been viewed over 120 M times showed Silverback gorilla standing up and running in the direction of the guest too. According to the caption, she remained calm and collected in the situation.
Viewers have been left amazed by the clip, marveling at the move used by gorillas, but also expressing fear for if they had been in the scene.
The gorilla was filmed beating his chest close to the guest in the TikTok video
Professional guide and photographer Richard De Gouveia was leading a privately guided conservation safari when the video was taken. It was shared to TikTok last month.
The safari tour took place at the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and the gorillas filmed were the Kwidanga group, made up of 2 silverbacks, 3 adult females, 2 blackbacks and 2 sub-adult females.
In the clip, gorillas could be seen coming out of their hiding places from the rain, Gouveia explained in the caption. “The males were trying to keep warm by chest beating,” he wrote.
“While watching another gorilla, the silverback came marching in from behind us and put on a show that won’t be forgotten in a hurry by our cool, calm, and collected guest who handled the moment perfectly,” he added.
The huge silverback gorilla was documented approaching the group from the side and taking a deep inhalation. He then lifted himself and began to run while beating his chest, coming extremely close to the guest kneeling at the floor. The Silverback stayed in place after finishing and the guest moved out of the way gently.
Why gorillas often beat their chests
When gorillas beat their chests it produces a loud sound that can be heard from a great distance and through thick forest. The action is thought to be a way for gorillas to both intimidate rivals and attract mates.
A study in 2021 published in Scientific Reports found that larger gorillas produce different sounding sounds when they beat their chests, meaning it can be used to tell others their size.
The research team behind the study worked at the same Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and used audio equipment to report the sound frequency, rate, duration, and amount of chest pounds. They found that the sound frequency equated to the size of the gorilla. Larger body size in gorillas is found to relate to reproductive success and social rank, reported The Guardian.
Chest-beating can therefore be used as a way for gorillas to let others know their size, in order to help them assess the fighting ability of each other and decide whether to retreat or escalate, and also attract females. Although gorillas can of course see the size with their own eyes when within seeing distance, the sound can travel through dense forest and so send the signal even far away.
The gorilla has since gone viral
With 120 million hits, the video sparked various reactions across TikTok from amazement to fear.
“They seem so unreal to me, but they are 100% beautiful and terrifying,” wrote one user.
“My soul would have left my body,” added another.
“Why did it seem like he was just being silly,” joked one TikTok account.
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