The population of the eastern lowland gorilla has crashed in recent decades and is now under 4, The total population of mountain gorillas is around individuals, split into two separate groups. As a great ape, gorillas are a WWF priority species.
As such, we are working to ensure gorillas can live and thrive in their natural habitats. Get up and close to this highly threatened species with our special gorilla section. Download wallpaper PC iPhone. Our work is only possible with your support. Donate now. Archive Content Please note: This page has been archived and its content may no longer be up-to-date. Toggle navigation.
Language English. Gorilla News. Key facts. Common name Common names. Geographic place Location Tropical and subtropical forests in Central Africa. Latin name Species Western gorilla Gorilla gorilla spp , eastern gorilla Gorilla beringei spp. Endangered Status Endangered to Critically Endangered, depending on the subspecies. Gorilla news. Intelligent, charismatic, and endangered Gorillas are our closest living relatives after chimpanzees and bonobos.
Western gorilla: Western lowland gorilla G. Charlie also likes to often display among his bachelor troop. Displaying is when a gorilla asserts dominance using a variety of communication devices. This typically involves a gorilla standing on all fours, strutting around with stiff limbs in an attempt to look as big as possible. Again, Charlie can be seen exhibiting this behavior frequently.
This allows gorillas to stand in a natural quadrupedal posture, reducing stress on their bones and joints … must be nice! Maybe we should all walk like gorillas! In order to truly walk like a gorilla, we would also have to walk on the knuckles of our hands and the palms of our feet.
They usually eat vegetation such as wild celery, shoots, roots, fruit, tree bark and tree pulp, but they have been known to eat small animals and insects. A male can eat up to 40 lbs. Gorillas' exact diet depends on where they live.
According to Sea World , about 67 percent of a lowland gorilla's diet is fruit; 17 percent comes from leaves, seeds and stems; and 3 percent comes from termites and caterpillars. The mountain gorilla eats a diet that is about 86 percent leaves, shoots and stems; 7 percent roots; 3 percent flowers; 2 percent fruit; and 2 percent snails, ants and grubs.
Gorillas live in groups. Groups of gorillas are called troops or bands. A band of gorillas can have as many as 50 members, though sometimes a band consists of as few as two members. Troops are led by a dominant male, called a silverback, which can often be identified by a gray strip of hair on his back.
Each time of day has its purpose for a troop of gorillas. Mornings and evenings are designated as feeding time. Gorillas can climb trees, but are usually found on the ground in communities of up to 30 individuals.
These troops are organized according to fascinating social structures. Troops are led by one dominant, older adult male, often called a silverback because of the swath of silver hair that adorns his otherwise dark fur. Troops also include several other young males, some females, and their offspring.
The leader organizes troop activities like eating, nesting in leaves, and moving about in a home range of 0. Those who challenge this alpha male are apt to be cowed by impressive shows of physical power.
He may stand upright, throw things, make aggressive charges, and pound his huge chest while barking out powerful hoots or unleashing a frightening roar. Despite these displays and the animals' obvious physical power, gorillas are generally calm and nonaggressive unless they are disturbed.
In the thick forests of central and west Africa, troops find plentiful food for their vegetarian diet. They eat roots, shoots, fruit, wild celery, and tree bark and pulp. Female gorillas give birth to one infant after a pregnancy of nearly nine months. Unlike their powerful parents, newborns are tiny—weighing four pounds—and able only to cling to their mothers' fur. These infants ride on their mothers' backs from the age of four months through the first two or three years of their lives.
Young gorillas, from three to six years old, remind human observers of children. Much of their day is spent in play, climbing trees, chasing one another, and swinging from branches. In captivity, gorillas have displayed significant intelligence and have even learned simple human sign language. All rights reserved.
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