First NewsFirst TVSubscriptions

Animal News

Wednesday, 4 April 2012




Gorillas reassure each other with a 'smile'

Scientists have discovered that when gorillas are playing, they ‘smile’ at each other to reassure their playmates that everything is okay!

Gorillas may look grumpy a lot of the time, and look fierce when they show their teeth, but baring their teeth is sometimes an act of friendship, according to new research.

Researchers form the University of Portsmouth studied the facial expressions of the great apes and their relationship to human smiles and laughter.

Watching various sets of gorillas, they found that they would play for longer if they bared their teeth at each other. Researchers have decided that this type of teeth baring is to reassure their playmate that things are fine, even if they are playing a bit too roughly!





What do you think? Leave a comment below to let us know!

Please note: All comments are moderated before they go live.
Offensive comments will not be published.


Did you like this? Why not give it a Thumbs Up!

2 Thumbs Up!

Give this article a Thumbs Up! by logging in
to your account or registering here.


2 Comments


You must be logged in to your account to add a comment about this article.


  • mabli (Age 9) wrote on Thursday, 5 April 2012 @ 07:47

    Cool.

  • teaser (Age 8) wrote on Tuesday, 10 April 2012 @ 17:33

    I cant believe people found a dead mammoth under ground and it looks alive!