Networks of long-distance female friends help gorillas move between groups
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Updates every hour. Last Updated: 11-Sep-2025 09:11 ET (11-Sep-2025 13:11 GMT/UTC)
In many animal societies, individuals of one sex, or sometimes both, eventually leave their birth group to join another. In a smaller number of species, including humans and gorillas, individuals can change between groups multiple times. This process, known as dispersal, plays a key role in avoiding inbreeding, spreading gene diversity and shaping social relationships. But how do individuals choose where to go?
A new study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, cracks this mystery, thanks to more than 20 years of data on multiple groups of wild mountain gorillas, continuously monitored by the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Rwanda.