THIS is the terrifying moment a huge gorilla charges at tourists beating its chest and forcing them to flee.

       Video shows 30st beast emerging from the forest on all fours before it stands on its feet and begins to charge towards the tourists.

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       The gorilla beating his chest as he charges out of the forest 3

       The tourists are forced to take swift evasive action

       As the creature beats its chest, the terrified tourists take swift evasive action leaving the gorilla on his own on in the forest.

       It’s unclear where the video was shot or exactly which of the four types of gorilla the primate is.

       But it appears that the primate is a male mountain gorilla, also known as a silverback on account of the distinct markings on its back.

       Around half of mountain gorillas live in the Virunga Mountains, a range of extinct volcanoes that border the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda in Africa, according to the WWF.

       But despite their size and fearsome look, they are in face “gentle giants” who “display many human-like behaviours and emotions, such as laughter and sadness” says the animal conservation charity.

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       Earlier this month, heartbreaking picture showed a gorilla - who became an online sensation thanks to a viral selfie - dying in the arms of the ranger who rescued her.

       The beating of its chest by male gorillas, as the one in the video does, has long been a source of speculation by scientists.

       According to recent research mountain gorilla rises up and pounds its chest to signal for a mate or scare off a foe.

       The drumming that resonates through the forest might also reveal details of their physique.

       “It is an extremely impressive display,” said research leader Edward Wright from Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany told National Geographic.

       “It can be a bit frightening. You don’t want to get in the way.”

       Unlike the croak of a frog or the growl of a lion, the mountain gorilla's chest thumping is unusual, said the study.

       It’s not a vocalisation but rather a form of physical communication that can be both seen and heard.

       The scientists believe chest beating may allow gorillas to send a signal that lets potential mates or rivals judge their size even without seeing them.

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       The enormous primate emerging from the forest

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