What is "gorilla"

Gorilla \Go*ril"la\, n. [An African word; found in a Greek translation of a treatise in Punic by Hanno, a Carthaginian.] (Zo["o]l.) A large, arboreal, anthropoid ape of West Africa. It is larger than a man, and is remarkable for its massive skeleton and powerful muscles, which give it enormous strength. In some respects its anatomy, more than that of any other ape, except the chimpanzee, resembles that of man.

1847, applied to the apes (Troglodytes gorills) by U.S. missionary Thomas Savage, from Greek gorillai, name given to wild, hairy people in a Greek translation of Carthaginian navigator Hanno's account of his voyage along the N.W. coast of Africa, c.500 B.C.E. Allegedly an African word.\n\nIn its inmost recess was an island similar to that formerly described, which contained in like manner a lake with another island, inhabited by a rude description of people. The females were much more numerous than the males, and had rough skins: our interpreters called them Gorillae. We pursued but could take none of the males; they all escaped to the top of precipices, which they mounted with ease, and threw down stones; we took three of the females, but they made such violent struggles, biting and tearing their captors, that we killed them, and stripped off the skins, which we carried to Carthage: being out of provisions we could go no further.

[Hanno, "Periplus"]

n. 1 The largest of the apes, native to the forests of central Africa, and known for its trait of knuckle-walking 2 A big and brutish man or a thug; a goon or ruffian.

n. largest anthropoid ape; terrestrial and vegetarian; of forests of central west Africa [syn: Gorilla gorilla]

Gorillas are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. The eponymous genus Gorilla is divided into two species: the eastern gorillas and the western gorillas, and either four or five subspecies. They are the largest living primates. The DNA of gorillas is highly similar to that of humans, from 95–99% depending on what is counted, and they are the next closest living relatives to humans after the chimpanzees and bonobos.

Gorillas' natural habitats cover tropical or subtropical forests in Africa. Although their range covers a small percentage of Africa, gorillas cover a wide range of elevations. The mountain gorilla inhabits the Albertine Rift montane cloud forests of the Virunga Volcanoes, ranging in altitude from . Lowland gorillas live in dense forests and lowland swamps and marshes as low as sea level, with western lowland gorillas living in Central West African countries and eastern lowland gorillas living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo near its border with Rwanda.

Gorillas are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa.

Gorilla may also refer to:

Gorilla is the debut album by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, originally released by Liberty Records in 1967. In 2007, EMI reissued the album on CD with seven bonus tracks.

Gorilla is singer-songwriter James Taylor's sixth studio album. Released in 1975, it was more successful than Walking Man, his previous release, with two hits: " Mexico" and " How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)", which rose to the top five on the Billboard charts. This would be his second-to-last release of new material for Warner Bros. Records, his last being In the Pocket. In many ways, Gorilla showcased Taylor's electric, lighter side that became evident on Walking Man. The song "Sarah Maria" is about his daughter Sally (born Sarah Maria Taylor on January 7, 1974). His then wife Carly Simon was featured on "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" originally recorded by Marvin Gaye. Jimmy Buffett covered "Mexico" on his 1995 album Barometer Soup and performed "Lighthouse" during his Salty Piece of Land tour of 2005.

Gorilla is a British advertising campaign launched by Cadbury Schweppes in 2007 to promote Cadbury Dairy Milk-brand chocolate. The 90-second television and cinema advertisement, which formed the centrepiece of the £6.2 million campaign, was created and directed by Juan Cabral and starred actor Garon Michael. The campaign itself, which comprised appearances on billboards, print newspapers and magazines, television and cinema spots, event sponsorships and an internet presence, was handled by advertising agency Fallon London, with the online segment contracted out to Hyper.

The advertisement, which first appeared on British television on 31 August 2007, has since gone on to appear in a number of other countries, including Canada, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. It has been well received by the public – a version uploaded to video sharing website YouTube received 500,000 page views in the first week after the launch. Polling company YouGov reported that public perception of the brand had noticeably improved in the period following the launch, reversing the decline experienced in the first half of 2007.

"Gorilla" is a song recorded by American recording artist Bruno Mars for his 2012 studio album Unorthodox Jukebox. The song was written by Mars, Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine, while production was handled by the former along with Emile Haynie, Jeff Bhasker and Mark Ronson, who had all previously co-produced the single " Locked Out of Heaven" for the same album. Atlantic Records serviced the track to Contemporary hit radio in the United States on September 10, 2012, as the fourth single from Unorthodox Jukebox. The official remix (G-Mix) of the song features American singers Pharrell Williams and R. Kelly, and was released in Canada and US on November 12. "Gorilla" is a midtempo rock and soft rock song with a power pop hook, epic guitars and a synth/percussion combination resembling a Phil Collins-esque. Its style has drawn comparisons towards Prince's 1984 single " Purple Rain".

The single received mixed to positive reviews from critics, who praised its early 1980s arena rock tendencies, but was criticized for its explicit lyrical content, which addresses the subject of making love like wild animals. The song charted moderately worldwide; it reached number 22 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 62 on the UK Singles Chart, being unable to achieve the same success of the previous singles. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting digital downloads of over half a million copies in the US. Mars only performed "Gorilla" live at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, however the song was included on the set list of the 2013 Moonshine Jungle Tour as the final act, usually performed as an encore.