To die a death of old age is becoming increasingly rare for endangered mountain gorillas. But Titus, made legendary by researcher Diane Fossey and the head of his clan for almost two decades, was found dead in his night nest on the morning of September 14 by trackers from the Karisoke Research Center. He was thirty-five years old. As Titus reached advanced age, he was repeatedly challenged for leadership by his son Rano. The stress of holding onto power may have proved too much for the old silverback. Fossey noted in her book "Gorillas in the Mist" that the infant Titus seemed "underdeveloped and spindly", but over time Titus grew strong and learned gorilla politics well. He was orphaned at five when his father, uncle, and younger brother were killed by poachers. His mother and sister ran away to join another group. Titus joined a group of unrelated bachelor males. He challenged the group's leader Beetsme for the top spot repeatedly. He finally succeeded in 1991 at the age of seventeen. At first Titus needed some coaching from the females when it came to reproducing because of his all-male upbringing, but he sired more offspring than any other male studied by Karisoke. He proved to be a skillful and even tempered leader. At the high point of his reign, he maintained dominance over 25 individuals. Towards the end Titus and his small group were traveling constantly to put Rano off the track of rebellion, but without success. The group finally settled with the usurper in their midst. Ihumure, a five year old that Titus shared his nest with, seemed to be the most affected by his leader's death.[credit: Diane Fossey Gorilla Fund]