Gorillas & ChimpanzeesGarner, R. L. (Richard Lynch)
Science
Gorillas & Chimpanzees
Garner, R. L. (Richard Lynch)
Chimpanzees; Gabon -- Description and travel; Garner, R. L. (Richard Lynch), 1848-1920 -- Travel; Gorilla
The hair of the gorilla is irregular in growth. It is more dense than
that of the chimpanzee, but less uniform in size and distribution.
On the breast it is very sparse, on the arms, long, and on the back,
dense, and interspersed with long coarse hairs. The ground of colour
is black, but the extreme end of the hair is tipped with pale white.
This is so in early youth, and with age the white encroaches, until,
in extreme age, the animal is quite grey. The top of the head is
covered with a thick growth of short hair, of a dark tan colour, which
looks almost like a wig. This mark seems to be peculiar to certain
localities, but is uniform among those captured in the Fernan Vaz basin.
[Illustration: YOUNG GORILLA WALKING]
A white trader living on this lake claims to have seen a gorilla which
was perfectly white. It was seen on the plain near the lake. It was
in company with three or four others. It was thought to be an albino,
but in my opinion it was only a very aged specimen turned grey. A few
of them have been secured that were almost white. It is not, however,
such a shade of white as would be found in an animal whose normal
colour is white. I cannot vouch for the colour of this ape seen on the
plain, but there must have been something peculiar in it to attract so
much attention among the natives.
So far, only one species of this ape is known to science, but there
are reasons to believe that two species exist. In the forest regions
of Esyira the natives described to me another kind of ape, which they
averred was a half-brother to the gorilla. They know the gorilla by
the native name _njina_, and the other type by the name _ntyii_. They
did not confuse this with the native name _ntyigo_, which is the name
of the chimpanzee, nor with _kulu-kamba_, all of which are known to
them; but they described in detail, and quite correctly, the three
known kinds of ape, and in addition gave me a minute account of the
appearance and habits of the fourth kind, which I believe to be another
species of the gorilla. They claim that he is more intelligent and
human-like than any one of the others; and they say that his superior
wisdom makes him more alert, and therefore more difficult to find. He
is said always to live in parts of the forest most remote from human
habitation.
The dental formula of the gorilla is the same as that of man, but
the teeth are larger and stronger, and the canine teeth are developed
almost into huge tusks. One thing to be remarked is the great variety
of malformations in the teeth of this animal. It is a rare thing to
find among them a perfect set of teeth, except in infancy. The cause of
this appears to be violence or accident.
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