Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
Episode: Tara Stoinski Returns
Date: April 29, 2026
Guest: Dr. Tara Stoinski, Primatologist & CEO/Chief Scientific Officer, Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund
Episode Overview
This episode welcomes back Dr. Tara Stoinski, an eminent primatologist specializing in gorilla behavior and conservation. As CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, Dr. Stoinski discusses her work, the powerful new documentary A Gorilla Story (narrated by David Attenborough), the challenges and triumphs in mountain gorilla conservation, and deep human/animal behavioral parallels. The conversation weaves primatology, family anecdotes, documentary behind-the-scenes, and urgent lessons for both conservation and humanity.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Personal Life & Parenting as a Primatologist
- Tara’s Family Background: Tara shares updates on her daughters, their educational paths, and growing up with summers in Rwanda while she conducted fieldwork ([06:00–11:00]).
- Emotion & Loss: She reflects on raising her daughters after her husband's passing, noticing her younger daughter mirrors her late husband emotionally:
“She very much leads with her heart...and I think I understand him better in some ways, getting to parent her.” — Tara ([13:08])
2. Filming “A Gorilla Story” and Group Dynamics
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Origins: The concept originated in COVID-era meetings with Silverback Films. Focus was placed on Pablo’s gorilla group, renowned for unusual size and unique social structure ([13:54–14:20]).
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Iconic Footage:
“...all of a sudden, this three-year-old little fluffball comes and just sits in [David Attenborough’s] lap.” — Tara ([15:00])
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Gorilla Group Evolution: The Pablo group, after the original silverback’s death, split into two lines. The documentary captures rare social maneuverings and unprecedented dominance transitions ([16:02–17:19]).
3. Mountain Gorilla Conservation Success & Genetics
- Population Trends:
“Where he was, it’s gone from 250 to 600 [mountain gorillas], which is great. But it’s taken 40-plus years to do that.” — Tara ([18:52])
- Genetic Bottlenecks: Inbreeding has some visible effects (e.g., eye alignment, webbed fingers), but overall viability is maintained, especially as group splits have increased genetic mixing ([19:31–20:30]).
- Female Power: Females play an underrated pivotal role in group stability and decision-making:
“Alliances and, particularly, who the females are and who they support play a much bigger role in gorilla society than I think we initially realized 40 years ago.” — Tara ([21:37])
4. Social Upheaval: Dominance, Infanticide, and Behavioral Parallels
- Documentary Drama: The succession of silverbacks (from Guichirazi to Abuzu), power struggles, and rare acts of infanticide—captured on film against all odds ([22:00–43:15]).
- Infanticide as Strategy: Infanticide, although rare, aligns with certain reproductive strategies, but the case of Infura, who killed four infants from within his own group, was exceptional ([42:57]).
- Psychological Parallels: Dax and Tara explore whether Infura’s behavior is akin to human trauma responses:
“What could early life experiences, what role might that play?” — Tara ([46:59])
- Comparison to Chimps & Humans: Chimps represent the “warfare” end of human ancestry; gorillas demonstrate social buffering and community care in times of stress/loss ([47:00–49:04]).
- Long-term Research:
“These long windows of time show us how complicated their society is. [Short studies] might make assumptions just because of whatever the ecological conditions were back then.” — Tara ([52:40])
5. Human Evolution, Young Men, and Society’s “Game Plan”
- Dax posits:
“We need a f***ing game plan [for boys]...They’ve inherited 65 million years of primate evolution, 6 million years of ape evolution, 3 million years of hominid evolution. It didn’t go away 3,000 years ago.” ([54:13])
- Conversation delves into the challenges facing young men, how media (manosphere, wealth/fame as mating strategy) intertwines with evolutionary drives ([54:59–56:17]).
- Monica wonders about women’s role in breaking the “alpha” cycle ([57:45]), while Tara underscores the need for multi-dimensional mentorship for young men.
6. Tourism & Conservation
- Tourism’s Role: Responsible gorilla tourism is vital—it funds conservation and local communities. Strict rules limit contact ([65:16–66:30]).
- COVID Impacts: Mask mandates and tourism pauses reveal the need for diversified conservation funding ([67:26]).
- Human-Gorilla Interaction:
“A lot of times you can’t move, you’re stuck. And the guides are really good at telling you, like, don’t move. Let them pass by.” — Tara ([66:30])
7. Gorilla Cognition, Tool Use, and Communication
- Gorillas’ umwelt (sensory world) is very close to ours; strong color vision and similar hearing, but less tool use in the wild due to dietary needs ([64:18–65:13]).
- Gorillas can learn sign language in captivity (notably, Koko):
“She had a pet kitty. And it was hit by a car, and she understood that it was dead. She signed this unique sign.” — Dax ([63:44–64:07])
- Debates on facial expressions: baring teeth, eye contact, and how context alters meanings ([68:25–69:25]).
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
Important Timestamps
- [13:54] – Origins of the film A Gorilla Story
- [15:00] – Attenborough’s iconic gorilla-lap moment
- [18:52] – Mountain gorilla population rebound
- [22:00]–[24:50] – Dramatic leadership shift and silverback fights
- [42:57] – Discussion of Infura’s unprecedented infanticidal behavior
- [47:00]–[49:04] – Social buffering, trauma, and resilience in gorillas
- [61:41] – Comparing gorilla and chimp dynamics
- [63:44] – Koko the gorilla and language capability
- [65:16] – Gorilla tourism protocols post-COVID
- [67:21] – Need for diverse conservation funding
Concluding Thoughts
This episode is as layered as it is lively: part family memoir, part behavioral science, part meditation on evolution and our own messy humanness. Dr. Tara Stoinski masterfully connects the threads—showing how gorilla societies can reflect both the beauty and brutality of survival, how female alliances shape power, and why understanding context is critical for both animal and human well-being.
The new documentary, A Gorilla Story, serves as both a cinematic milestone and a conversation-starter on what it truly means to thrive together—across species, continents, and generations.
Recommended Action:
Watch A Gorilla Story (available on Netflix)—and consider supporting the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund for ongoing conservation.
Note: This summary omits advertisements, intros, and outros to focus on core content.
