Tiny Baby Gorilla Practices Pounding Her Chest

In an adorable clip from the BBC Earth program Animal Babies: First Year on Earth, a little female baby gorilla named Nyakabara practices pounding her chest over and over again. While only males engage in this behavior as adults, both male and female infants instinctively try it out. Scientists aren’t sure why.

When do Gorillas learn to beat their chest, and why do they do it?

Baby Gorilla Pounding Her Chest

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.