SearchGorillas are extremely smart. Some have learned to communicate with humans. One famous gorilla named Koko learned how to speak sign language. She communicated with people through hand gestures.
Koko was very intelligent. She tried to teach sign language to other gorillas. And when she didn’t know a word, she invented one! For example, she called zebras “white tigers.”
Can you match each word in the left column to Koko’s definition of the word in the right column?
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1. mask 2. ring 3. zebra 4. monster 5. Pinocchio doll 6. lighter 7. insult 8. ice cream cone |
a. white tiger b. bottle match c. bad mad you d. finger bracelet e. surprise devil f. eye hat g. my cold cup h. elephant baby |
Koko facts from Koko.org.
Web Links
Going, going, gone?
Gorillas are an endangered species, which means that we are in danger of losing all the gorillas in the world. As the amount of people in the world keeps growing, the silverbacks and their families have fewer and fewer places to live. Luckily, many groups of people are working to save the lives of gorillas, and their efforts have been extremely successful. To learn more go to:
Mountain Gorilla | African Wildlife Foundation
Koko4KIDS
Western Lowland Gorilla | National Zoological Park
