Of the many gorilla aspects to observe and adore, it’s worth taking a minute to focus on their noses. Conservationists do the same for scientific purposes.
“All of our gorillas have very different noses, so in addition to their other distinguishing features, we can identify them that way,” Ashton Asbury, Primate World animal keeper, says. “Being able to identify them here at the Zoo helps us track their qualities of life, health, social interactions and more. In the wild, conservationists use this method to identify wild gorillas, too.”
Each gorilla has a unique nose, just like humans. While there are other ways to identify gorillas individually, noses were efficient identifiers for conservationists who were often observing from afar or via photos and videos.
Wild gorilla research has been documented since the 1950s. Using consistent identifiers, like noses, helps researchers learn more about each individual long-term, which reveals how gorillas socialize and move through wild places. With information about how gorillas use habitats, conservationists can present data that helps support policies that protect the habitats gorillas need to survive.
As gorillas mature and naturally move out of their initial family groups to join other groups, conservationists noted their noses to identify and continue observing them in new groups.
“Once they have fully developed, gorillas’ nose shapes typically stay the same,” Ashton says. “Their body shapes and sizes and hair colors may change with age. Because they move between social groups, it’s not as dependable to rely on comparisons with other gorillas to identify individuals.”
By identifying individual gorillas, conservationists can track family dynamics, group movements, diets, migrations and even life spans – all foundational information that still benefits gorilla conservation efforts and care for great apes in human settings.
At CMZoo, gorilla fans can easily tell the gorillas apart by comparing their sizes, hair colors and more. Identifying Asha is especially simple now, because she’s the gorilla carrying an adorable baby! But, their noses are worth appreciating, too.
• Asha’s nose is heart-shaped. In between her nostrils is a U-shaped indent. She’s also identifiable as the shortest adult gorilla in the group.
• Goma’s nose is also heart-shaped, but he has a strong line between his nostrils. Goma is the largest gorilla in the CMZoo troop, and he has grayish-silver hair on his back.
• Kwisha’s nose is longer and her nostrils are more upright than Asha’s and Goma’s. Kwisha has brownish-red hair on her head, and she’s the ‘middle sized’ gorilla at CMZoo.
• So far, the baby’s nose is heart-shaped, like his parents’, but his nose is still developing.
Next time you’re in Primate World at CMZoo, test your gorilla knowledge and see if you can identify the adults by their noses.