The Western Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla), specifically the Western Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), is a large African ape. It is an adoptable animal in Zoo Tycoon: The Board Game.
Description[]
The Gorilla is the world's largest primate, although Western Gorillas tend to be smaller than their Eastern relatives. A fully-grown dominant male, or "silverback" after the grey coloration on his back and rump, can stand up to 1.8m (5ft 11in) tall and weigh up to 270kg (600lbs), although 140kg (310lbs) is a more common weight. Females are smaller and more lightly built than males. The gorilla is extremely strong and is believed to be capable of lifting ten times its body weight. Silverbacks are known to aggressively defend their groups against rivals and predators such as leopards, but gorillas are typically peaceful animals that spend much of their day eating.
Gorillas live in the rainforests of central Africa in large family groups, travelling large distances in search of food. They are primarily herbivorous and eat a wide range of plant material, but favor fruit when it is available and will occasionally eat ants or termites. When not feeding, gorillas will often rest, with individuals grooming and playing together. Although the Western Gorilla is the most common species of gorilla, all gorillas are Critically Endangered due to habitat loss and hunting.
Zoo Tycoon: The Board Game[]
The Western gorilla is an adoptable animal in Zoo Tycoon: The Board Game and is one of the 23 main species. Like all main species, it can be adopted during the summer months and has its own meeple.
The western gorilla is a Level 2 Rainforest animal belonging to the Primate class. As a Level 2 animal, it can only be adopted if the player has a high enough happiness score. It is a social animal, requiring a minimum of three individuals to be exhibited, but at least four if it is to breed. These groups can either consist of multiple females with one male, or a bachelor group consisting entirely of males. Females that successfully give birth will nurture their young and will not give birth again for another year. The Western gorilla is not compatible with co-species, nor is it part of a conservation project.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Compared to other gorillas from earlier installments, the western type is the most common in true captivity.
- The Western Gorilla was originally specifically the Western Lowland Gorilla in the prototype of Zoo Tycoon: The Board Game. This was changed when the developers decided to focus on species rather than subspecies.
- The Western Gorilla can be seen on the Primate Disease Event Card.
- The Western Gorilla is one of only six sexually dimorphic animals in the board game.
- In early builds of the game, the Western Gorilla did not exhibit sexual dimorphism. It was the first animal to have a sexual dimorphism stretch goal, revealed on October 26, 2022, and successfully reached just two days later.