Main Facts About Gorillas

Main Facts About Gorillas: Before deciding to go on a gorilla trekking safari, one can find it interesting to learn these 10 facts about gorillas, which are some of the most fascinating facts about Mount Gorillas. Here are ten gorilla facts that will surprise you once you meet the gentle giants. If you’re planning a gorilla trekking trip and know nothing about the primates but really want to learn more before your visit, these facts will help make your experience exciting and enjoyable.

Types of Gorillas

The Western and Eastern gorilla groups are divided into four distinct subgroups of gorillas. These differ from one another in terms of features, sizes, strengths, physical attributes, diet, and environment, among other things. There are two subspecies of Eastern gorillas: mountain gorillas and Eastern lowland gorillas. Similarly, there are two subspecies of Western gorillas: western lowland gorillas and Western River gorillas.

Eastern Gorillas: With unique characteristics, the eastern gorilla is a critically endangered species of gorilla. The mountain gorilla and the eastern lowland gorilla, commonly referred to as the Grauer’s gorilla, are the two subspecies of the eastern gorilla. There are 3800 gorillas in the world overall, of whom 1000 are mountain gorillas. These are found in the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda, and Mgahinga National Park in Rwanda. They are found in Salonga and Virunga national parks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. You may see eastern lowland gorillas, also known as Grauer’s gorillas, in Kahuzi Beiga National Park and Maiko National Park. If you’re interested in gorilla trekking in Rwanda, you can pay $1500 to engage in the activity; in the Congo, gorilla trekking costs $400, and in Uganda, it costs $650.

Western Gorillas: The western lowland gorilla and the cross-river gorilla are the two subspecies of the western gorilla, which share similarities with the eastern gorilla but differ in traits. Cross-river gorillas are found in Cameroon, while western lowland gorillas are located in the national parks of Noubale Ndoki and Ntokou Pikounda in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Habitat for Gorillas

Gorillas live in the equatorial regions of Africa, where the environmental factors required for their survival are present. They are found in the western part of Africa, which includes Cameroon and Nigeria, where the cross-river gorilla is found. The eastern gorillas are located in the Virunga Mountains in East Africa, whereas the western lowland gorillas are found in different regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It should be mentioned that gorillas are drawn to locations with an abundance of food and other resources that they require for daily survival. It is important to highlight that gorillas prioritize being able to meet their demands when choosing a habitat. Since there are various gorilla species, each one has a unique habitat in which to live.

The Eastern Gorillas: Found in the eastern portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Eastern Lowland Gorilla can be found in the Itombwe Mountains, Maiko National Park, Tayna Gorilla Reserve, and Kahuzi Biega National Park. The lowland and mountainous tropical woods are home to the majority of gorilla populations. As long as there is a sufficient quantity of food, eastern gorillas can occasionally survive in marshlands with less dense forest flora. In contrast, mountain gorillas live in regions of the Albertine Rift that are home to hilly tropical forests, with an average elevation of 4300 meters. The Virunga Mountains, which are part of Virunga National Park, Mgahinga National Park, Volcanoes National Park, and particularly the regions around Mount Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, and Mikeno, as well as the dense foliage of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, are home to the majority of mountain gorillas.

Western Gorillas: Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Angola, and the Central African Republic are home to western lowland gorillas. In contrast to the other nations where they are found, they are also found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, though in smaller quantities. The primary habitat of western lowland gorillas is lowland tropical forests, although some of them can also be found in riparian forests, swamps, and humid, rainy regions with an abundance of vegetation that serves as a food source. The most reticent of all the gorilla species, the cross-river gorillas are found in the cross-river basin of Cameroon and Nigeria. As such, they prefer to live in areas where there is less interaction with humans, which is why they are typically found in bamboo and mountainous rain forests at elevations between 1500 and 3500 meters above sea level. Additionally, they inhabit regions rich in food supplies, much like other gorilla species.

Physical Characteristics

Eastern gorilla: Although the mountain and Grauer’s gorillas share many characteristics, they are different in terms of size, height, color, and other attributes. Large heads, lengthy limbs, and flat noses are characteristics shared by all eastern gorillas. The baldness of the eastern gorilla’s face, hands, feet, and breasts with age is an interesting characteristic. All eastern gorillas, both those in the mountains and the eastern lowlands, have black fur, however adult male gorillas are known as silver backs because of the light grey to white fur on their backs that gives off a silver hue. But in comparison to mountain gorillas, eastern lowland gorillas are larger and heavier. Male adult gorillas can weigh almost 40 kg more than female adult gorillas, as they are larger and heavier than female gorillas. Mature gorillas can reach weights of 140–205 kg for males and 90–100 kg for females.

 

Western gorillas: Compared to their eastern counterparts, western gorillas have a paler complexion. Western lowland gorillas have black, dark grey, or dark brown-grey fur, in contrast to the black hair and fur of their eastern counterparts. They also have slightly brown foreheads.  The average weight of the eastern gorillas is 80 kg for females and 157 kg for males, meaning that the eastern gorillas are heavier than the western gorillas. When comparing the cross-river gorillas to the lowland western gorillas, the former have shorter skulls than the latter. Compared to the lowland gorillas in the west, the cross-river gorillas are hairless, with bare brows, short ears, and shaped chest and eyebrows.

Diet of Gorillas

All gorillas are herbivores, meaning they mostly eat fruits, leaves, tree bark, stems, and other types of vegetation. However, during seasons when fruit is easily accessible, they will prefer fruit over other foods. It should be noted, however, that fruit is only available during specific times of the year, so during other times of the year they will also eat leaves and, in certain cases, small insects such as caterpillars, termites, snails, ant larvae, and so forth. Since gorilla meal contains water, gorillas rarely drink water directly from the water source, making it difficult to witness gorillas consuming water. A gorilla is thought to be able to eat up to 18 kg of food every day, which aids in their growth and well-being. Western lowland gorillas are the most fruit-obsessed of the gorilla species, Eastern lowland gorillas being the only ones that can travel up to 500 meters a day in pursuit of fruit.

Social Structure

Similar to chimpanzees, gorillas also live in groups, but their numbers are smaller than those of chimpanzees. Strong silverbacks control gorilla groups. These silverbacks typically gain dominance through conflicts with other silverbacks in the group; the victorious silverback is recognized as the group’s leader. Because only the dominant male silverback has the right to mate with other adult females in the group, some adult black silverbacks migrate from their homes to form new groups where they can find other females to mate with.

The mother separates from her offspring among the different types of gorillas when the dominant silverback dies, but this is not the case for the eastern lowland gorillas, who stay with their offspring until they get a new silverback. Instead, the gorilla group disperses and migrates to other groups. Due to their potential to pose a threat to the leadership of the group, infants in a group are more likely to be killed when a silverback dies, but this is less common among gorillas because the females defend their young.

Because they need attention from the dominant silverback and other males in order to increase their chances of mating and receive protection from any threats, the female gorillas in the group behave aggressively toward one another. However, whilst the men in the groupings are typically connected during social events like playtime, grooming time, and so on, related females have closer relationships with one another.

Gorilla Parenting & Reproduction

Among the Top 10 Gorilla Facts is this one. Every group’s dominant silverback exhibits extreme polygamy, which allows him to have sex with any and all of the adult female members of the group. The female may approach the male during ovulation by moving her lips and making eye contact. She may also be seen slapping the ground, which is a sign that she is eager for intercourse.

Once the female is seduced, the male will express desire by touching her and engaging in sexual activity. When a female gorilla gets pregnant, it takes her 8.5 months to give birth to a “infant,” or baby gorilla. However, on rare occasions, she can give birth to twins. This is seen in the Congo gorilla family, where the adult female Bilali of the Munyaga group gave birth to twins who sadly passed away shortly after. When gorilla trekking in the Congo, one might witness this family of gorillas.

 The dominant male or dominant silverback is responsible for keeping the young safe when they sleep in the same nest as the mother. The mother has an additional responsibility to care for her children, groom them, and teach them the fundamentals of survival.  When a young gorilla reaches three years old, they are allowed to move out of their parents’ nests and sleep in their own, close to their mothers’ nests for safety. Following the three years, the baby is weaned, allowing the adult female to ovulate once more and become pregnant as soon as feasible.

Gorilla Interaction/Communication

One of the Top 10 Facts About Gorillas is Communication. All gorillas, regardless of species, communicate in various ways, which are evident in day-to-day interactions. When gorillas in their various groups come upon food, they can be heard, while they are traveling, grunting and barking to alert other gorillas to the presence of food. When gorillas scream and shout during social interactions, there may be a threat nearby. This could be the consequence of other wild creatures entering their territories or internal group fights, which are typically caused by the silverback.

When an infant is being breastfed, belching and rumbling can be heard during satisfaction. They can also be heard when they are resting. When a fight is about to break out, for example, the gorillas will display nine steps to settle the aggression among themselves. These include hooting, symbolic feeding, rising to their feet, throwing vegetation, thumping their chests, one leg kick, sideways running, which is typically done with one of their four limbs, or rising to their feet, tearing the vegetation to release their frustration, and finally slapping the ground to signal that the conflict has been resolved. This is an interesting display to witness because of the formal methods by which the gorillas settle their disputes.

Threats to Gorillas and Conservation

The number of mountain gorillas is over 1004 owing to improved efforts by non-governmental organizations, strict laws against poaching, and increased patrols that have helped to combat poaching. The eastern lowland gorilla population was once thought to be 17,000, but it has since decreased to half of its original number. The western lowland gorilla population, which surpasses all other gorilla populations at 300,000, is threatened by many factors such as skin poaching and the use of their palms as ashtrays. In contrast, there are only 200–300 cross-river gorillas in the globe. The numbers also decline as a result of interactions with humans. For example, in the Congo, a number of gorillas were killed because they appeared to be a threat to human life. This was because the gorillas lived in areas with significant mining potential, and the killings were necessary to carry out the mining operations. Diseases and regional warfare, such as that which occurred in the Congo and resulted in the deaths of some eastern lowland gorillas, are additional dangers.

Distinction from each other

Among the top intriguing facts about gorillas is the fact that, similar to how human fingerprints are unique for quick identification, gorilla nose prints are also distinctive from one another. In the wild, gorillas can be identified from one another by their distinctive nose prints.

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