Titus (24 August 1974 - 14 September 2009) was the name given by researchers to a silverback Mountain Gorilla of the Virunga Mountains. Titus was remarkable in that he was under almost constant observation by researchers since his birth in 1974, including Dian Fossey, Veronica Vecellio and Felix Ndagijimana. He was the subject of a 2008 PBS Nature/BBC Natural World documentary entitled "Titus: The Gorilla King".
Titus was born on 24 August 1974. He was named by gorilla researcher Dian Fossey, who was observing his group at the time, after the eponymous protagonist of the Mervyn Peake novel Titus Groan.
When Titus was four years old a blackback male joined his group and was named 'Beetsme' by Fossey (who was asked by a visiting friend who he was, and replied "Beats me"). Shortly afterwards Titus' father and dominant silverback 'Uncle Bert' (named for Fossey's uncle) was killed by poachers. Beetsme attempted to take control of the group, killing the infant daughter of the group's dominant female 'Aunt Flossie'. However the blackback was rejected and the females left the group.
Titus appears to have formed a bond with Beetsme and the pair became the nucleus of an unstable bachelor group. The group was without females for eight years, during which time they were observed engaging in homosexual behaviour.[1] Eventually five females joined Beetsme and Titus' group. Beetsme, now a fully-grown silverback, drove off all of the males but Titus and became the dominant male of the group.
The females however, especially dominant female 'Papoose', seem to have been more attracted to Titus and began to mate with him in secret. DNA analysis of Titus' group showed that he sired his first child, called Kuryama, with Papoose in 1985 while still a blackback and subordinate of Beetsme. This is the youngest recorded siring by a gorilla. These secret encounters continued for six years as Titus matured into a silverback. In 1991 he began systematically asserting his dominance over the other males in his group and a year later, aged eighteen, he peacefully displaced Beetsme as the dominant male of the group. Beetsme continued to aid Titus in maintaining the group until his death in 2001.
Titus sired more children than any other gorilla on record and by 2004 controlled the largest known gorilla group in the world. At age thirty however his dominance was fading and he began regularly fighting with his silverback son Kuryama. He was also observed biting a female after she was caught mating with Kuryama in secret. This was noted by researchers as being at odds with Titus' "calm" leadership style in previous years. Jane Goodall was never able to observe the group Titus controlled but has acknowledged his unique attributes.
In the spring of 2007 Titus led the group to a the peak of a volcanic mountain. The low temperature at that altitude posed a threat to the younger members of the group and as Titus tarried there Kuryama made a bid for leadership. He "displaced" Titus and then led the majority of the group, including most of the sexually mature females and their offspring, away from the mountain. Titus did not resist but was not willing to give up his dominant position and so the group was split in two. Some of the older females, including the dominant female Tuck, and their infants remained with Titus as well as a young silverback named Tuyizere.
In May 2008 Titus and his following rejoined the main group, which had expanded by four new infants and two females from other groups. Titus, seemingly aware that he was unable to protect the group at thirty-three years-old, supported his son Kuryama as the dominant male until his death on 14 September 2009. Researchers reported that he was still regarded with great respect and affection by the entirety of the group.
On 14 September 2009, at age 35, Titus died after a week's illness.[2]