I’m probably going to have to go with my buddy the (silverback) gorilla:
Lots of people just see this absolute unit of a primate and think he must be an aggressive badass that would rip you in half if you looked at him the wrong way.
I guess I may have contributed to this on this website… but ironically enough, I answered so many questions about gorillas mainly to make fun of all the stereotypes about them and highlight that some of the questions were quite silly.
In reality I love gorillas and I’ve shed many tears for the hypothetical ones who didn’t make it in my answers…but jokes aside, they’re awesome creatures and it makes me legitimately sad that we’ve screwed them over so much.
The truth is, silverbacks will defend themselves and their troop from threats, but they’re actually fairly gentle a lot of the time. Just watch some videos of a silverback messing around with his offspring; they can be suprisingly patient and playful.
And if you go on a trip to the African rainforest to see wild gorillas, you’re in far more danger from bipedal primates than these gentle giants.
Humans have poached a horrifying number of gorillas, or indirectly killed them through destruction of habitat, yet tourists can often get very close to wild gorillas without them acting aggressively.
Orphaned gorillas can even form strong bonds with the rangers who hand-raise them:
You did say peaceful unless provoked, though.
Even the chillest silverback probably won’t stand for you banging your chest and trying to out-alpha him:
So, err, don’t do that.
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