There is quite a lot of interesting information about gorillas in the back matter of Gorilla Girl, and I won’t repeat that here. But do check out one of my favorite gorilla photos (above, by Derrick Neill) and the material below.
Gorillas, humans, and other great ape primates are the brainiacs of our world. Yet, whales and elephants have much larger brains than do humans, and slow-witted horses and cows (my apologies to horses and cows everywhere) have brains similar in size to those of gorillas. How can that be?
When it comes to smarts, brain size is certainly important, but other factors: brain volume in relation to body size, number of neurons in the cerebral cortex (the part of the brain associated with intelligence), more specialized brain regions, and well-insulated nerve fibers that allow for faster communication are all important. And in these areas the great apes, like humans and gorillas, reign supreme. (I bet you didn’t know you were a great ape, did you?)
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