A pack of Silverback Mountain gorillas in Uganda were caught for the first time on camera singing while eating.
Filmmakers captured this unique ritual by placing a robotic ‘spy’ that resembles a young gorilla deep in the jungle. The team designed the machine with realistic eye movements, as wild gorillas communicate with each other through eye contact.
WATCH: Will Robot Spy Gorilla Be Welcomed By The Great Silverback Gorilla?
It was also given a submissive demeanour with hopes it would be accepted by the pack.
The silverback mountain gorillas were caught humming in appreciation for their dinner, something never observed on camera before.
After finishing their meal, the video also revealed clear evidence of flatulence (farting) could be heard in the video, showing how gassy they were.
The segment is part of the PBS series ‘Nature: Spy in the Wild 2,’ which follows animals in their natural habit using robotic replicas.
Matt Gordon, who is one of the show’s producers, said that the process of building the robotic spies is intricate.
It varied depending on what animal and behavior they were trying to film.
Gordon said the team didn’t choose to construct an adult gorilla spy since the pack might see it as a threat.
Because of this, they went with a baby gorilla instead and created the robot so the pack would accept it.
The baby spy was able to move and close its eyes as well as beat its chest, according to Gordon.
Rare moments like a baby gorilla running up to the robot and beating its chest would have been impossible using traditional techniques.
The video also shows the majestic creatures producing tuneful calls and deep hums when eating.
An unexpected treat was also seeing them passing gas during and after eating.
Researchers have known about older gorillas singing during dinner since 2016, but the footage captured by Gordon and his team is the first to it has been seen.
