Mountain gorilla features, habits and diets

Mountain gorilla features, habits and diets  : One of the two subspecies of the eastern gorilla and one of the most formidable primates on the planet is the mountain gorilla. Compared to their cousins from the lowlands, these species are distinguished by their shorter limbs, longer hair, and large chests in addition to their board hands and feet. In addition, the dense black hair of mountain gorillas aids in their ability to withstand the cold.

Mountain Gorilla Behaviors

Mountain Gorillas are amiable, gregarious creatures that live in groups of two to forty individuals, with the silverback, a dominant male, serving as the group’s primary leader and protector. Most boys leave their birth family when they are eleven years old. Some people prefer to travel alone, while others spend years traveling with other men until they draw in female companions. Throughout the year, the silverback guides the group to the ideal locations for rest and plenty of food. Certain confrontations are resolved by threatening actions and standoffs that scare off intruders without causing injury.

Gorillas on mountains A female gives birth at the age of ten and bears children every four years or more. Newborns weigh roughly four pounds and are frail. Although they develop nearly twice as quickly as a human infant, their initial movements are swift. When they are three years old and more independent, babies stop nursing and are weaned. Regretfully, poachers frequently murder infants.

Less than 1064 mountain gorillas remain in the wild as of the most recent census, making them suitable for gorilla trekking. Half of the world’s population of great apes—more than 600 individuals—live in Uganda, with the remaining half split between the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda, the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. These critically endangered mountain gorillas are our closest cousins because they have 98% of our DNA. The following characteristics of gorillas will make your experience trekking this unique species in African countries warm and welcoming:

Gorillas have short trunks that are big and thick in the shoulders and chest. Its huge skull and a large muscle dwarf its eyes and ears.

Safaris with Gorilla Trekking

A female gorilla gives birth when she is approximately ten years old, and a male gorilla starts to reproduce when he is between twelve and fifteen years old. per four to five years, a female gorilla will give birth after conceiving for two to three days per month.

There are up to thirty gorilla families, and the silverback dominates the gorilla population. Along with juvenile gorillas and black gorillas, the silverback holds a dominant position.

Mountain gorillas shout, stand on their hind legs, stamp their feet, seize vegetation, beat their chests gallop in a mimic attack on all fours, hit the ground with their hands, and shove food into their mouths. They also stand on their hind legs to retrieve ants from holes using stems.

Man and leopards are the primary predators of gorillas. The majority of gorillas are killed for their bushmeat, while some are also kept as pets and for other purposes. A few gorillas get caught in traps meant for antelopes or other larger animals.

In addition to helping them regulate their body temperature, gorillas’ long, dense hair on their skin keeps them warm at higher, colder elevations.

Similar to how each person’s fingerprints are unique, so are their nose prints, and mountain gorillas’ feet resemble human feet.

While the elevation of the rain forests that they occupy occasionally varies above sea level, mountain gorillas often inhabit regions that are higher up, between 2200 and 4500 meters.

Diseases including the common cold, Ebola, the flu, diarrhea, and more can affect gorillas.

As they get older and acquire silver fur behind their backs, adult male gorillas must subjugate a gorilla family before they can begin to form their own.

Like humans, mountain gorillas have teeth in their mouths, which they utilize to chew up plants. At a later age, they may develop milk teeth that are eventually replaced by permanent teeth.

One or two baby gorillas are born to female mountain gorillas during an 8–9 month gestation period.

Nutrition

Primarily plant-eating animals, gorillas can consume up to 18 kg of plants every day. Their favorite foods are celery, wood, and roots. They eat succulent vegetation, which is high in water and morning dew, so they rarely need to drink. Gorillas do not drink water since they consume a range of plants that are high in moisture, such as bamboo shoots, stems, fruits, bedstraw, and stinging nettles.

Habitats: Where do gorillas in the mountains reside?

These critically endangered mountain gorillas inhabit four national parks spread across three countries in the world: the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Virunga National Park, the Rwandan Volcanoes National Park, the southwest Ugandan Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, and the Rwandan Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

For “one hour spent with mountain gorillas,” mountain gorilla permits cost USD 800 in Uganda, $1,500 in Rwanda, and $400 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo per person per hike. Additionally, Uganda provides a four-hour “Habituation experience” for USD1,500, which is equal to Rwanda’s one-hour gorilla trekking.