Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
Like human babies, gorilla babies are born helpless and entirely dependent on their parents for care and protection. They do, however, develop much faster than human babies and will begin spending time on their own at less than two years of age. Their juvenile stage lasts from age three to six, after which they sleep apart from their mothers. Females reach sexual maturity at age 10 while males reach it at 15. Most gorillas in the wild live for 35 to 40 years on average, but some have lived well into their 50s in captivity and a few have even made it past the ripe old age of 60.
For 2021, CollectA has released a baby mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) to accompany the big one from last year. Although judging from its appearance, calling it a baby might be a stretch. It is standing securely and confidently on all four limbs and it is fairly large in comparison to its predecessor, measuring 5 cm long and 4.5 cm tall. Looks like this is a juvenile of at least three years. As you can see from the image below, the two apes go very well together. Indeed, my older son enjoys pretending that they represent himself and his daddy. 🙂
Our little gorilla’s colour scheme is identical to the big one’s: black fur with subtle flecks of reddish-purple, greyish-brown for the muzzle, chest, hands, and feet, and orange eyes. Again, while a real mountain gorilla’s eyes are dark brown, the orange makes the wide eyes come alive. This youngster looks alert and curious, eager to explore and play. And unlike with the adult version, it’s impossible to determine the gender of this young primate.
The fur on this gorilla has been carefully sculpted to give it a thick, busy appearance. Tiny ears are visible poking out of the fur on the head. The palms of the hands and the soles of the feet feature small wrinkles and the large head with its round face and pleasant features give off an undeniable air of cuteness.
This baby mountain gorilla is a fantastic little figure, one that is well worth acquiring, especially if you already own the bigger one. A big thank you goes out to CollectA for this review sample. It will become available for purchase in July.
