How Gorilla Families Work

How Gorilla Families Work: One of the most important things that visitors love to discover when they go gorilla trekking in a national park is How Gorilla Families Work. You must comprehend the behavior of the various gorilla families in their respective national parks before visiting the families of gorillas from the Congo in the Virunga National Park, the Rwandan families in the Volcanoes National Park, the Ugandan families in the Mgahinga National Park, and the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. When you visit gorillas during gorilla trekking and gorilla habituation, you will discover that the gorillas in their various families share the following fascinating characteristics:

Head of a gorilla troop

A given gorilla family may contain more than one silverback, and choosing which silverback to lead the group can be difficult. The silverback is the head of a specific gorilla family within the several gorilla families. As a result, the many silverbacks might compete for the title of dominating silverback, which designates them as the gorilla group’s overall leader. Following the leadership contest, the vanquished silverback departs from the group in search of new recruits. Defeated silverbacks can, on rare situations, remain with a certain group, but most of the time, when they depart, they search for other gorillas who have also fled their birthplaces, and when they unite, they can form a gorilla family.

Migration

Migration of gorillas is well-known among the various gorilla families, and just as other animals migrate in search of food and water, so do gorillas. The family is often observed traveling from one location to another in search of food; during fruit-bearing seasons, for example, they will seek out any other source of food in order to feast on the fruits. The other reason gorillas can migrate is because, in a particular gorilla family, the dominant silverback is the one who is meant to mate with the adult females. This is typically the case for black backs. The gorillas migrate from their homes to establish new homes where they can mate with other females.

Building a nest

The construction of individual nests for use at night is the responsibility of each member of a gorilla family. However, it should be noted that when an adult female goes into labor, she gives birth and stays in the same nest with her baby for easy protection and feeding. During the entire childbirth and nursing process, until the baby is a little older, the dominant silverback is in charge of protecting the mother and child, giving them extra care even at the risk of his life.

Mating

The dominant male (silverback), who has the privilege to mate with any mature female in the gorilla family, is the only one allowed to do so. A fight usually breaks out when a blackback or silverback in the group mates with an adult female member of the group, forcing them to leave the group. Here, the displaced gorillas join forces with other gorilla species that may have broken away from their families to form a new group or family. However, if a displaced gorilla is chased away and there are no other roving gorillas from different families, he may have to live alone, which can be extremely difficult.

Development and Social Structure

Mountain gorillas: One interesting aspect of gorilla families is that, as they get older, they will experience some changes in their family structures. Specifically, gorillas between the ages of 10 and 15 will leave their homes to form new families with other wandering females in their age range. It is possible for females to leave the groups in which they were born in order to join other groups and start new families. They disperse in order to prevent inbreeding. They may migrate again, thus just because they migrate once does not guarantee that they will remain in the groups they have joined for the rest of their lives. When there are more female gorillas in a family than males, the females will go to groups with fewer females. There is a chance of infanticide in a family if the dominant silverback has passed away, in which case all the babies are murdered to prevent any future leadership threats from the babies. This was made clear at the Karisoke research site in the National Park of Volcanoes, where several newborns in a gorilla family perished.

Eastern lowland gorillas: Unlike their mountain counterparts, who always maintain a balance among themselves, Eastern lowland gorillas typically live in groups consisting of one male and several females. In contrast to mountain gorillas, who depart from their families between the ages of 10 and 15, females typically move from their natal families at the age of 9. The guys may choose to remain in a group with just other men until they can observe the grooming

Grooming

Typically, two gorillas will groom each other by checking for ticks on each other and occasionally wiping each other’s ears with grass sticks. From the time of birth until they are 12 months old, when they begin to become independent, infants are often cared for by their mothers, who also serve as their primary caretakers. However, until they are 21 months old, at which point they become completely independent, the mother can still monitor them.

Succession in a Gorilla family

A conflict between the several silverbacks over who gets to be the head of a gorilla family may also arise if a dominant male dies. In such instance, another superior silverback in the family would assume the role. When a black back acquires silver fur to become a silverback, it is sometimes possible for them to challenge the dominant silverback to a duel. If they win, they take the lead and the defeated silverback is either forced to quit the group or makes the decision to stay.

Now that one is aware of these crucial aspects of gorilla families’ operations, it is easier to relate to the material presented and recognize what to look out for in order to give the entire gorilla trekking experience significance.