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Via iStockphoto \/ alpha.class.animals Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n Wonder what the arctic would be like if polar bears weren\u2019t the apex predators? A viral Instagram account uses AI to imagine what it would be like if an African Silverback evolved to thrive in the sub-freezing habitat.<\/p>\n In an Instagram Reel with over 1.1 million views<\/a>, Alpha.Class.Animals imagines what it would be like if a silverback gorilla was placed in the Arctic with aging turned off. The account has several viral videos that explore how other animals would evolve if placed in a different environment. It has garnered over 16,000 followers as of April 2026.<\/p>\n By the time 500 years pass, the gorilla<\/a> is almost unrecognizable. But how accurate is the account\u2019s prediction?<\/p>\n What Happens If You Put An African Silverback In The Arctic?<\/p>\n The account shows a gorilla marching around a \u201cgeothermal cave system\u201d with warm water and mossy plants at the 100-year mark.<\/p>\n \u201cCold is not the enemy. Hunger is. He eats moss, algae, cave plants, and small animals. He becomes 50% carnivore,\u201d the video says. In real life, silverback gorillas are primarily herbivores, with only small bugs as a non-plant source of food.<\/p>\n The account predicts that at the 200-year mark, a high iron diet would turn the silverback red. At this point the gorilla would be \u201c70% carnivore.\u201d At this point, the account suggests that the gorilla would venture out of the cave to hunt larger animals.<\/p>\n Fast-forward another 100 years, and the account suspects that the gorilla<\/a> would be 100% carnivorous, showing an AI clip of the Silverback diving after a seal. The carnivore diet makes the gorilla twice as strong, and the UV rays turn its hair gray.<\/p>\n Polar bears and gorillas don\u2019t face off until the 500-year mark. The account predicts that the silverback would dominate the bear as the new apex predator of the arctic. At this point, the gorilla more closely resembles a \u201csnow yeti.\u201d<\/p>\n Could Apes Actually Live In The Arctic?<\/p>\n The viral Instagram Reel isn\u2019t the first time science lovers have speculated about an arctic ape. On the r\/SpeculativeEvolution subreddit<\/a>, others discuss what it would actually look like for an ape to live in the freezing temperatures.<\/p>\n \u201cArctic animals tend to be larger than non-Arctic species, i.e. Polar Bear vs Grizzly Bear. I would imagine that with an appropriate amount of time Gorillas, or another ape, could speciate into a cold adapted, mostly carnivorous species,\u201d one says, suggesting that the Reel might not be too far off.<\/p>\n Others point out that there are real-life apes that live in snowy environments, such as the Japanese macaque. However, these small monkeys still primarily eat plants, with the occasional exception of bird eggs and crabs<\/a>.<\/p>\n And backtracking to 52 million years ago, primate relatives did indeed live in the arctic. However, the Arctic, during that period, was much warmer than today. \u201cThese creatures are the first and only primate relatives known to make it to the Arctic,\u201d Kristen Miller, a representative for the University of Kansas, told NewScientist<\/a> about the tree dwellers.<\/p>\n Do Viewers Agree With The Prediction?<\/p>\n