![]() ![]() Since then the skulls have often studied by experts and went on loan to Bristol Zoo in 1981 for a display at the Ape Advisory Panel meeting. Casts of these skulls were donated to the Odontological Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1848, and appear in the ‘Descriptive Catalogue of the Osteological Series Vol. Sadly this paint was removed from the specimens in 1848. They were painted red and white and probably mounted on poles – hence the lack of lower mandibles. The Bristol skulls had been used by the locals in a celebratory ceremony after their killing, due to the superstitions surrounding the animal. Savage’s skulls are now in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard, USA. However Dr Savage’s own visit to Gabon, on his way from Africa to the US, meant he also obtained specimens. Two skulls were sent to him from Gabon which Stutchbury promptly lent to Owen. Samuel Stutchbury, Curator at Bristol Museum, had acquainted himself with many masters of ships and requested a skull of a large African ape that was mysteriously spoken about. The genus name was later changed to Gorilla, hence the full scientific name Gorilla gorilla. His earlier publication has official priority, so the name gorilla, not savagei, must be used. However, Owen had been pipped to the post by the US missionary Thomas Savage just a few months earlier in 1847, who gave it the name Troglodytes gorilla. b2ap3 thumbnail Kong Skull Island Skull 1. Wild male gorillas weigh 136 to 227 kg (300 to 500 lb), while adult females weigh 68113 kg (150250 lb). This would make our skulls the “type” specimens of the species. Polystyrene Giant Gorilla Skulls promotes Kong: Skull Island at Melb Train Station. While gorillas have larger skulls than humans, humans have a lot more room in their skulls to fit their brains. Based on the skulls, he described the Gorilla as new species of ape - Troglodytes savagei - in a paper published in 1848. Gorillas have a larger head than humans, but a smaller brain. These were studied by the famous Professor Richard Owen at the Natural History Museum, London. The skull of a gorilla is fairly easy to distinguish due to its size and by some of the bony structures used for muscle attachment. The Museum has the first Gorilla skulls ever to be sent to Europe. ![]()
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