Facts about Koko
Koko is 45 years old
Birthplace: San Francisco, California, United States
Best known as: The gorilla who "talks" with humans
4 Good Links
The Gorilla Foundation
Koko's official home page, with plenty of information on gorilla issuesNature: A Conversation With Koko
Online site for the PBS program, rich in detailsThe Straight Dope on Gorilla Sign Language
Cecil Adams explains what the experts thinkHow Did All Ball Die?
Yahoo's answer page tackles the sad demise of Koko's kittenShare this:
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.