A gorilla called Gargantua is believed to be the largest gorilla ever captured. He weighed between 550 and 600 pounds, and he stood 5 feet 6 inches tall.
According to Oborge, Gargantua was born in the Belgian Congo around 1929 and was captured when he was young. Originally known as "Buddy," his name was changed when he was sold to the Ringling Brothers. He bore a scar that was the remnant of an injury incurred when a drunken sailor threw nitric acid in his face. Gargantua's size attracted millions of people to the circus, and he is credited with single-handedly saving the circus. After he died in 1949 from double pneumonia, his skeleton was donated to the Peabody Museum.
