Abstract
A study on lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) play behaviour was conducted on four exhibits at three different zoological parks so that 19 gorillas were observed. Juvenile gorillas played the most, but play continued at fairly high frequencies through adolescence. Most social play occurred between dyads. Triadic groups usually chased each other. No sex differences in type of play were observed, but gender differences in partner preferences were observed. Males played with both other males and females, while females seldom played together. These data support the social skills hypothesis (Baldwin & Baldwin, 1974) of play.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abegglen, J., 1984.On Socialization in Hamadryas Baboons. Bucknell Univ. Press, Lewisburg.
Altmann, S. A. &J. Altmann, 1970.Baboon Ecology African Field Research. Univ. of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Baldwin, J. D., 1969. The ontogeny of social behavior of squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) in a seminatural environment.Folia Primatol., 11: 35–79.
&J. I. Baldwin, 1971. Squirrel monkeys (Saimiri) in natural habitats in Panama, Columbia, Brazil, and Peru.Primates, 12: 45–61.
&, 1973. The role of social play in social organization: comparative observations on squirrel monkeys (Saimiri).Primates, 14: 369–381.
&, 1974. Exploration and social play in squirrel monkeys (Saimiri).Amer. Zoologist, 14: 303–315.
Bennett, J., 1982.Island of the Bears (16 mm sound film). Survivial Anglia, London.
Berger, J., 1980. The ecology, structure and functions of social play in bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis).J. Zool. Lond., 192: 531–542.
Biben, M., 1986. Individual- and sex-related strategies of wrestling play in captive squirrel monkeys.Ethology, 71: 229–241.
Bramblett, C. A., 1978. Sex differences in the acquisition of play amongst juvenile vervet monkeys. In:Social Play in Primates,E. O. Smith (ed.) Academic Press, New York, pp. 33–48.
Brown, S. G., W. P. Dunlap, &T. L. Maple, 1982. Notes on water-contact by a captive male gorilla.Zoo Biol., 1: 243–249.
&M. V. Wagster, 1986. Socialization processes in a female lowland gorilla.Zoo Biol., 5: 269–279.
Burghardt, G. M., 1984. Origin of play. In:Play in Animals and Humans,P. K. Smith (ed.), Basil Blackwell Pub. Ltd., Oxford, pp. 5–41.
Carpenter, C. R., 1937. On observational study of two captive mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei).Human Biol., 9: 175–196.
Chalmers, N., 1984. Social play in monkeys: theories and data. In:Play in Animals and Humans,P. K. Smith (ed.), Blackwell Pub. Ltd., Basil, pp. 119–141.
&J. Locke-Hayden, 1984. Correlations among measures of playfulness and skillfulness in captive common marmosets.Develop. Psychobiol., 17: 191–208.
Dolhinow, P. J. &N. Bishop, 1970. The development of motor skills and social relationships among primates through play.Minn. Symp. Child Psychol., 4: 141–198.
Fagan, R., 1984. Play and behavioural flexibility. In:Play in Animals and Humans,P. K. Smith (ed.), Blackwell Pub. Ltd., Basil, pp. 159–173.
Fischer, R. B. &R. D. Nadler, 1978. Affiliative, playful, and homosexual interactions of adult female lowland gorillas.Primates, 19: 657–664.
Fossey, D., 1983.Gorillas in the Mist. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston.
Freeman, H. E. andJ. Alcock, 1973. Play behaviour of a mixed group of juvenile gorillas and orangutans,Gorilla gorilla andPongo p. pygmaeus.Int. Zoo Yb., 13: 189–194.
Harcourt, A. H., 1979a. Social relationships between adult male and female mountain gorillas in the wild.Anim. Behav., 27: 325–342.
, 1979b. Contrasts between male relationships in wild gorilla groups.Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol., 5: 39–49.
,K. J. Kelley, &D. Fossey, 1976. Male emigration and female transfer in wild mountain gorillas.Nature, 263: 226–227.
Hoff, M. P., R. D. Nadler, &T. L. Maple, 1981. The development of infant play in a captive group of lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla).Amer. J. Primatol., 1: 65–72.
Hrdy, S., 1977.The Langurs of Abu Female and Male Strategies of Reproduction. Harvard Univ. Press, Cambridge.
Klein, L. L. &D. J. Klein, 1973. Observations on two types of neotropical primate intertaxa associations.J. Phys. Anthropol., 38: 649–654.
Kummer, H., 1968.Social Organization of Hamadryas Baboons. The Univ. of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Maple, T. &M. P. Hoff, 1982.Gorilla Behavior. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., New York.
Mech, L. D., 1966.The Wolves of Isle Royale. Fauna series 7, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington.
Missakian, E. A., 1972. Genealogical and cross-genealogical dominance relations in a group of free-ranging monkeys (Macaca mulatta) on Cayo Santiago.Primates, 13: 169–180.
Owens, N. W., 1975. Social play behaviour in free-living Baboons,Papio anubis.Anim. Behav., 38: 387–408.
Rowell, T., 1969. Long-term changes in a population of Ugandan baboons.Folia Primatol., 11: 241–254.
Ruppenthal, G. C., M. K. Harlow, C. D. Eisile, H. F. Harlow, &S. J. Suomi, 1974. Development of peer interactions of monkeys reared in a nuclear-family environment.Child Develop., 45: 670–682.
Schaller, G. B., 1963.The Mountain Gorilla. The Univ. of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Smith, P. K., 1982. Does play matter? Functional and evolutionary aspects of animal and human play.Behav. Brain. Sci., 5: 139–184.
Symons, D., 1978.Play and Aggression a Study of Rhesus Monkeys. Columbia Univ. Press, New York.
van Lawick Goodall, J., 1971.In the Shadow of Man. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Data were gathered while the author was a graduate student at Tulane University and a visiting lecturer at the University of California, Riverside.
About this article
Cite this article
Brown, S.G. Play behaviour in lowland gorillas: Age differences, sex differences, and possible functions. Primates 29, 219–228 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02381123
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02381123