Are the gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park “true” mountain gorillas

Datos Bibliográficos

ID8317390
AutoresAlison A Elgart (Florida Gulf Coast University, autor de correspondencia)
Año2010
Volumen141
Número4
Páginas561-570
Fecha de publicación2010-04-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAmerican Journal of Physical Anthropology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0002-9483 • E-ISSN: 1096-8644
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/ajpa.21172
PMID19927278
OpenAlexW2152576038
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas2
Referencias citadas52

The gorillas that inhabit Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda are the least known of the eastern gorillas. Because they are an allopatric population living a minimum of 25 km from the well‐studied population of mountain gorillas ( Gorilla beringei beringei ) in Rwanda and have certain morphological and ecological differences from these gorillas, their taxonomic status has been in question in recent years. This study presents new craniodental metrics from Bwindi individuals and compares them to Virunga individuals as well as to eastern lowland gorillas, G. gorilla graueri . Multivariate statistics, including MANCOVA, least‐squares, regression, and principal components analyses, were used to evaluate how closely the Bwindi crania resemble the Virunga crania and how both relate to G. g. graueri . Results indicate that the Bwindi gorillas have generally smaller crania than the Virunga gorillas, but when metrics are log‐transformed, the only variable that distinguishes the Bwindi individuals is a longer face. When both populations are compared to G. g. graueri , they cluster together separately from the eastern lowland gorillas, sharing such features as higher rami, wider bigonia, longer mandibles, and wider and shorter mandibular symphyses in relation to G. g. graueri . Functional morphological explanations for these differences are discussed, but lacking measurements of the physical properties of G. g. graueri , they cannot fully be explained. Results clearly indicate that at least pertaining to the cranium, upon which most gorilla taxonomy is based, the Bwindi gorillas are proper mountain gorillas ( G. b. beringei ). Am J Phys Anthropol, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc

Allopatric speciation · Archaeology · Biology · Crania · Geography · Gorilla · National park · Pongidae · Population · Amphibian and Reptile Biology · Demography · Ecology · Paleontology · Primate Behavior and Ecology · Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

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