Malui is surrounded by a cloud of butterflies she has disturbed at Bai Hokou in Dzanga Sangha Special Dense Forest Reserve, Central African Republic
猩猩與蝴蝶之間似乎很難有故事，但近日，攝影師在中非共和國Dzanga-Sangha密林保護區裡拍到的這一幕倒也有幾分諧趣。
根據環球網報導，這隻25歲的雌性低地大猩猩Malui無意間闖入了他人的領地，頓時被成千上萬隻蝴蝶環繞。牠時而驅趕拍打，時而聞聞嗅嗅，最終還是對這些小東西萬般無奈，最終Malui只得無奈抱頭，灰溜溜地離開了。
Gorillas in the moths: Ape surrounded by cloud of butterflies after unwittingly disturbing hundreds of the tiny creatures
This fiesty female gorilla got in a bit of a flap when she stumbled across this cloud of butterflies.
Giant western lowland gorilla Malui was roaming through Central African Republic's dense Dzanga-Sangha forest when she encountered the fluttering friends.
Malui, who is estimated to be around 25 years old, first sniffed at the swarm, before charging through the middle and covering her head in disbelief.
What are these winged things? The gorilla is swarmed by the delicate creatures, but seems reluctant to take a closer look at them
The gorilla, which is on the endangered list, stumbled across the swarm in a special reserve
Malui lives in the Dzanga Sangha Special Dense Forest Reserve, which was established in 1990 and covers 6865.54 km.
It is home to indigenous Baka pygmy tribes and many unique African animal and plant species - including these butterflies and their bemused goorilla neighbours.
But she needn't have feared the winged creatures - who were undoubtedly more panicked by her than she was of them.
Adult female gorillas usually weigh between 150 to 250lb and their upper body strength is six times more powerful than that of an adult human.
After her encounter, she covered her head in disbelief as the butterflies seemed only to happy to surround her
Leave me alone! After first sniffing at the swarm, she charged through the middle to try and escape them
Western lowland gorillas, found only in central Africa, are now classified as Critically Endangered with their populations being decimated by habitat loss, disease and hunting, according to London Zoo.
The primates usually live together in family groups that are led by an alpha male commonly known as a ‘silverback’ because of a large strip of silver coloured hair that covers his back.
But the delicate butterflies need not have feared Malui snapping them up as a snack - the gorillas typically have a diet rich in fruit and also leaves, shoots, stalks, stems, vines and bark. |
發表於 2013-2-5 02:30 PM
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