Voorbeelden van silverback

• A silverback (alpha male) will start hooting, throwing, chest pounding, leg kicks, and sideways running when approached by another male.

• If the silverback dies, these males may be able to become dominant or mate with the females.

• Younger males subordinate to the silverback, known as blackbacks, may serve as backup protection.

• In a single male group, when the silverback dies, the females and their offspring disperse and find a new troop.

• The dominant silverback generally determines the movements of the group, leading it to appropriate feeding sites throughout the year.

• When the group is attacked by humans, leopards, or other gorillas, an individual silverback will protect the group, even at the cost of his own life.

• A silverback is typically more than 12 years of age, and is named for the distinctive patch of silver hair on its back, which comes with maturity.

• However, while gorilla troops usually disband after the silverback dies, female eastern lowlands gorillas and their offspring have been recorded staying together until a new silverback transfers into the group.

• At the beginning of the study, there were 14 group members: two silverbacks (mature males), six females, four juveniles and two infants.

• He then embraced his role as silverback and leader of a troop.

• The silverback has a largely supportive relationship with the infants in his troop and shields them from aggression within the group.

• The leader (the silverback) organizes group activities, like eating, nesting, and traveling in their home range.

• The bond a silverback has with his females forms the core of gorilla social life.

• A dominant male silverback heads the group, with younger males usually leaving the group when they reach maturity.

• She watched how silverback male gorillas cared for their families and paternally intervened to resolve conflicts, thereby setting the tone for community behavior.