Reports of silverback gorillas killed by leopards

[brobear]

Please; for our records, let's post every report made of a bull gorilla killed by a leopard. Let's determine that which are confirmed reports and separate from the story-book tales. Let's look at the details involved.

[Gorilla king]

Here is one with everything crystal clear:


Leopard attacks a silverback unaware while asleep (how surprising), and being already severely wounded (gash in the groin that severed an artery), the gorilla still had the strength to try to fight it off and in doing so had tumbled down a slope. This account doesn't speak very good of a leopard:






books.google.com.ar/books?id=MxdWDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT48&dq=description+of+a+family+stalked+by+a+leopard&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=description%20of%20a%20family%20stalked%20by%20a%20leopard&f=false

[brobear]

Thank you Gorilla king. I checked out the authors and I would consider this one as being valid. Any other reports will be much appreciated.

[Gorilla king]

Aug 26, 2023 8:35:40 GMT -5 brobear said:

Thank you Gorilla king. I checked out the authors and I would consider this one as being valid. Any other reports will be much appreciated.

Yes, i have a big post coming up soon, i will analyze the main study of leopard predation on gorillas.

[Gorilla king]

Non-Human Predator Interactions with Wild Great Apes in Africa and the Use of Camera Traps to Study Their Dynamics

www.researchgate.net/publication/235384811_Non-Human_Predator_Interactions_with_Wild_Great_Apes_in_Africa_and_the_Use_of_Camera_Traps_to_Study_Their_Dynamics


So lets analyze all the leopards predation on gorillas, even the non-silverbacks.

Attack on 1 silverback and 1 blackback, not lethal.

Most likely by ambush or to sleeping gorillas. The fact that those attacks were not lethal means the leopard failed his ambush and ran away, or it was getting his ass handed to him and ran away, even while ambushing those gorillas.

Upon hearing leopard, group silverback quickly gathered group and moved quietly and switly out of area.

This is the obvious move to do. The silverback has to protect his troop from a sneaky assassin.

Study group's silverback severely injured in suspected attack, not lethal, but his group reduced in size by half.

The fact that is was not lethal means that even while being initially injured by the ambush, the silverback fought back and the leopard had to run away.

Gorilla remains found in scat.

Scat, could had been scavenging. Doesn't state silverback either.

Gorilla and chimpanzee remains found in scat.

Exaclty the same as above.

Blackback death, predation strongly suspected.

Not a silverback. Blackbacks are too old to be considered subadults, yet too young to be considered silverbacks, so its something in between. Since no description of a fight, then we automatically assume it was by ambush.

Silverback in poor health found dead with signs of predation.

Same as above but with a silverback in poor health. No description of a fight = ambush/sleeping gorilla.

Adult gorilla male chased and attacked, unknown if lethal.

We dont known if it was lethal.

Gorilla remains found in scat.

Scat, could had been scavenging. Doesn't state silverback either.

Gorilla and chimpanzee remains found in scat.

Scat, could had been scavenging. Doesnt state silverback either.

Death of 2-3 adults, anecdotes descrive gorillas reacting with fear and fleeing upon detection, but one anecdote described gorillas ignoring leopard in full view.

Just says "adults", not silverbacks. And there are both views, fear and not fear. If it was fear, a silverback is trying to protect his troop from a sneaky assassin. When leopards are discovered, they flee at least 90% of the time.

Attack, heard gorillas screaming, 2 leopards stalking them from nest at night.

Doesn't state silverback. The 2 leopards attacked when the group was sleeping.


So, as we can see here, there is only 1 silverback in poor health with signs of predation. All other events were either just "attacked", "blackbacks", or "scat" analysis.

[oldindigosilverback]

The only way a leopard can kill a silverback gorilla is by ambush or while the gorilla is sleeping. It does not happen very often.

All things being equal, the silverback gorilla wins.

[Gorilla king]

Most likely one of the cases mentioned at reply #4, leopard scat that contained two gorilla toes. 


#1) "gorilla" doesn't mean silverback.

#2) the "scat" method to prove predation is not worth a shit. The only way to prove predation, without a shadow of a doubt, is by analyzing the carcass.

[oldindigosilverback]

/\ Saying the word gorilla is too general. Did the measure the size of the toes?

[arctozilla]

You're a great analyzer Pablo.

[arctozilla]

Reply #7 the same biologist who found the gorilla toes in the scats said it would've been possibly scavenging.