How Developed Is a Newborn Gorilla?

Newborn gorillas are quite helpless: they cannot coordinate their movements and see very little, just as human babies. The facial skin is relatively pale, whereas palms and soles usually show irregular, pale patterns on a dark skin. In many places the body hair is very sparse; the longest and densest hair is on the head. Young gorillas show the same reflexes as newborn human babies. Among them are the instinctive searching for the nipple and the clinging reflex. The latter is much better developed in gorillas because the babies have to be able to cling to the mother's body without help.

Gorilla and human mother with baby Photos: Angela Meder, Thomas Vierling

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