4 good links

  1. The Gorilla Foundation

    Koko's official home page, with plenty of information on gorilla issues

  2. Nature: A Conversation With Koko

    Online site for the PBS program, rich in details

  3. The Straight Dope on Gorilla Sign Language

    Cecil Adams explains what the experts think

  4. How Did All Ball Die?

    Yahoo's answer page tackles the sad demise of Koko's kitten

Koko Biography

Koko is a domesticated lowland gorilla who has been taught to use human sign language. Beginning when Koko was one year old, psychologist Francine "Penny" Patterson taught the gorilla signs from American sign language; Patterson eventually credited Koko with learning a vocabulary of over 1000 signs. Koko is one of the best-known signing apes, along with chimpanzees Nim Chimpsky and Washoe.

Extra credit:

Koko had a famous pet kitten which she named All Ball... According to Zoo.org, the average lifespan of a lowland gorilla is 30-35 years in the wild, 35-45 years in a zoo.

Common Bonds
Great Apes!

The World's Hottest Chimps and Apes

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