Pregnant gorillas undergo ultrasounds and the results might look familiar

When Sachita Shaw sent her brother an ultrasound, he was confused. The heart in the image was huge and very muscular. This was because the ultrasound wasn't of a human heart. It belonged to a gorilla.

Shaw is an emergency physician and works with Butterfly Network, a medical equipment company. She said that if she had shown a gorilla fetus ultrasound to a radiologist, they would have thought it was a human baby.

Gorilla Ultrasounds Look Like Human Ones

Shaw is part of the gorilla care team at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington. They are looking after Jamani and Olympia, two western lowland gorilla mothers. Jamani gave birth on May 18, and Olympia is expected to have her baby soon.

The team uses ultrasounds to check the babies' growth and position. Shaw noted that the baby gorilla's face, breathing, heartbeat, and movements looked very much like a human baby's.

The endangered gorilla mothers were trained to participate in the exams. They could choose if they wanted to take part. For the scan, the gorillas would press their bellies against the enclosure. This allowed the care team to use an ultrasound probe through a small opening. The gorillas received snacks for their cooperation.

![Jamani’s baby was born on May 18 at 5:50 a.m.](https://www.popsci.com/uploads/2020/05/20/46363456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563456345634563