If anyone asks you: do male gorillas force females to mate? No, under normal circumstances, is the simple answer to that question. In the wild, this has been witnessed overtime by both primatologists and visitors on gorilla safaris. Surprisingly, it is generally the females that initiate the mating process, also known as courtship. They can actively do this only during estrus. Estrus is a period when female mammals are sexually receptive and fertile to become pregnant after mating.
The female gorilla initiates mating with a silverback or a dominant male through subtle ways. Mostly, this involves approaching and staring straight into the silverback’s eyes. While doing this, they keep their lips pursed. If he fails to notice, she can even slap the ground to indicate seriousness. When the female is lucky with this approach, he can mount her and mate. On average, mating takes 2 minutes, though some can go for 20 minutes.
What Happens When Silverbacks Ignore the Females to Mate?
If the dominant male shows no interest in mating with the female, she might seduce the subordinate males instead. This is done just to provoke the main silverback because the black backs might not possess desirable qualities for her offspring. Sometimes, by luring the subordinates, sneak mating might occur, which causes hostility if the dominant silverback is immediately aware. It is this reason why the black backs tend to ignore such seductions. Most times, the dominant silverback reacts by charging towards the gorillas to finally mate with the female.
Why Female Gorillas Initiate Mating?
This starts right from the start of their reproductive stage. When female gorillas reach approximately 10 years, they move out of their original family to seek for another male. This avoids inbreeding and violent conflict with other females over the dominant male in the group. They are very selective when it comes to the mating partner. Young female gorillas will identify a male gorilla in regards to strength, temperament and leadership qualities. Like humans, female gorillas have a less than 72-hour fertile window. So, they need to act fast if they are to get pregnant in that month.
When do Male Gorillas Initiate Mating?
In rare cases, the dominant silverback might want to mate with the female gorilla yet she is not interested. She becomes resistant and hesitant, possibly because she feels unprepared to take care of another baby. The male then employs tactics like charging at her or even slapping her gently for her to accept. This is more likely to happen in a gorilla family with multiple male gorillas to favor polygamy by the females. So, do male gorillas force females to mate? Also, yes but not aggressively.
What is a Gorilla Family Structure?
Silverback,
A male gorilla of around 12 years and above with a distinct grey or silvery saddle-shaped patch across his back. The dominant one is usually the leader of a gorilla family, thus makes all the key decisions for their survival. He also mediates conflicts, determines where they should go for food, sleep and escape threats. It is the silverbacks that play the biggest roles in ensuring the safety of the group members.
Black back,
These are males, usually at the age of 8-12 years that do not have the silvery saddle on the silverbacks. The black backs are subordinates to the silverback but can also be fertile enough to give birth with a female gorilla. Black backs are denied access to mate with the females, therefore tend to fight the silverbacks when they feel ready. Most times, they will slowly abandon the family to look for other males whom they can stay with. When they finally get the desire to start a family they will challenge their father or any other silverback. When they win and sometimes kill the silverback they can take over the family. Sometimes, they can just entice another female or females to start a family.
Adult Females,
Female adults reach maturity between 10 to 12 years old. These usually have strong bonds with the silverback for mating opportunities and getting protection against predators. Other silverbacks might want to kill their offspring, so protection is offered by the dominant silverback. They start giving birth at age 10, with each birth occurring at 4 year intervals. Relationship with other females within a group varies. Females are usually aggressive towards other competing females, especially for mating with the silverback.
When the females start acting aggressively toward each other, it is the silverback to intervene. But, females from the same mother are often friendly toward each other. They have a gestation period quite similar to that of humans, 8.5 months. Younger females start their ovulatory cycles at 6 years of age, which is followed by 2 more years of adolescent infertility. These can migrate from one troop to another, before they settle in the most suitable one. Other members within a gorilla family fall under juveniles and infants’ categories.
