Tammy Spratt / San Diego Zoo Safari Park via AP

Vila turns 55 this weekend and who keepers say is the third-oldest known western lowland gorilla in the world.

The third-oldest known gorilla in the world is celebrating her 55th birthday this weekend at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, zoo officials announced.

While the hand-raised, western lowland gorilla named “Vila” may be turning the big 55, zookeepers said she’s in remarkable condition for her age.

They credit the Southern California climate for Vila’s good health.

According to zoo officials, Vila has served as a surrogate mother to seven gorillas during her life and also plays grandmother to the San Diego Zoo’s youngest gorilla, Monroe.

View complete coverage at NBCSanDiego.com

On Friday morning Vila showed off her grandma skills by letting Monroe ride around on her back, as pictured above.

Besides her notable age and contributions as a surrogate mother, zoo officials said Vila has also made significant contributions to the understanding of her critically endangered species over the years.

She participated in a six-year study on great ape intelligence, which zoo officials said contributed to the base of scientific knowledge that researchers now have about gorillas.

A UCSD physicist used his knowledge and a little creativity to get himself out of a $400 traffic ticket.

Dmirti Krioukov was issued a traffic ticket for failing to completely stop at a stop sign. Instead of paying the ticket or going to traffic school, the physicist fought the citation by writing a four-page paper explaining how the ticket he was given defies physics.

Using his knowledge of angular and linear motion, Krioukov prepared a paper for the judge in his case and was able to argue – and prove – his innocence.

The paper explained how what the officer “thought” he saw, he didn’t really see, according to the laws of physics.

Read NBCSanDiego.com's coverage of the physicist's fight

“Therefore my argument in the court went as follows: that what he saw would be easily confused by the angle of speed of this hypothetical object that failed to stop at the stop sign. And therefore, what he saw did not properly reflect reality, which was completely different," Krioukov said.

Before others try the “physics defense” before a judge, Krioukov warned that it took a perfect combination of events for his argument to legitimately hold up.

When asked if he really did stop at the stop sign, the physicist stuck to his argument.

“Of course I did,” he said with a smile.

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