Mountain gorillas can send messages to their rivals more than a kilometre away about their size and fighting ability through their chest beating rituals, a study has suggested.
Chest beating by the biggest silverback gorillas sound lower in pitch compared with smaller animals and could represent a long-distance warning to rivals, according to research published in Scientific Reports.
The sporadic chest drumming by male gorillas has been linked to the search for a mate and for communication, but it was not clear what message was being conveyed.
But a two-year study of 25 adult male silverbacks in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda, found a direct link between audio frequency and the size of the animals.
They recorded the duration, number and frequency of 36 chest beats made by six of the males and linked them to measurements taken from photos of their shoulder width.
The researchers from Germany, Spain and the US believe that the bigger males have larger air sacs near their larynx, making the drumming beat sound lower in pitch to the human ear.
Gorillas are highly competitive in the search for a mate, with a single male living among a group of females.
Different gorillas drummed more rapidly and for longer, which could allow them to be identified by sound through the dense tropical forest, according to the paper Chest beats as an honest signal of body size in male mountain gorillas.
Lead author Edward Wright, from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, said the researchers had to keep at least seven metres from the gorillas to ensure no disease was transmitted to protect the population of little more than 1,000.
"Gorillas do not chest beat very often, around once every five hours, so it is a big challenge to record ... as most times you don't know when they are going to happen, and when they do, you need to be at the right place at the right time," he said.
Gorillas are not alone among mammals to signal their size through the noises they make. A study of the eland antelope found that the frequency of “knee clicking” was a reliable gauge of body size.
Ashes 2019 schedule
August 1-5: First Test, Edgbaston
August 14-18: Second Test, Lord's
August 22-26: Third Test, Headingley
September 4-8: Fourth Test, Old Trafford
September 12-16: Fifth Test, Oval
Sam Smith
Where: du Arena, Abu Dhabi
When: Saturday November 24
Rating: 4/5
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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Sole survivors
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Visa changes give families fresh hope
Foreign workers can sponsor family members based solely on their income
Male residents employed in the UAE can sponsor immediate family members, such as wife and children, subject to conditions that include a minimum salary of Dh 4,000 or Dh 3,000 plus accommodation.
Attested original marriage certificate, birth certificate of the child, ejari or rental contract, labour contract, salary certificate must be submitted to the government authorised typing centre to complete the sponsorship process
In Abu Dhabi, a woman can sponsor her husband and children if she holds a residence permit stating she is an engineer, teacher, doctor, nurse or any profession related to the medical sector and her monthly salary is at least Dh 10,000 or Dh 8,000 plus accommodation.
In Dubai, if a woman is not employed in the above categories she can get approval to sponsor her family if her monthly salary is more than Dh 10,000 and with a special permission from the Department of Naturalization and Residency Dubai.
To sponsor parents, a worker should earn Dh20,000 or Dh19,000 a month, plus a two-bedroom accommodation
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Nutritional yeast
This is Firth's pick and an ingredient he says, "gives you an instant cheesy flavour". He advises making your own cream cheese with it or simply using it to whip up a mac and cheese or wholesome lasagne. It's available in organic and specialist grocery stores across the UAE.
Seeds
"We've got a big jar of mixed seeds in our kitchen," Theasby explains. "That's what you use to make a bolognese or pie or salad: just grab a handful of seeds and sprinkle them over the top. It's a really good way to make sure you're getting your omegas."
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
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- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
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- Never over populated areas
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- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
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Homeowners and tenants are allowed to list their properties for rental by registering through the Dubai Tourism website to obtain a permit.
Tenants also require a letter of no objection from their landlord before being allowed to list the property.
There is a cost of Dh1,590 before starting the process, with an additional licence fee of Dh300 per bedroom being rented in your home for the duration of the rental, which ranges from three months to a year.
Anyone hoping to list a property for rental must also provide a copy of their title deeds and Ejari, as well as their Emirates ID.
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