Mountain Gorilla

## Basic Info

Habitat/Range: Border region between the DRC, Rwanda, and Uganda

Biome: Cloud forests

Conservation Status: Endangered

Individuals in Wild: 1000+

## Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Primates

Family: Hominidae

Genus: Gorilla

Species: G. berengei (Eastern Gorilla)

* There is only one other subspecies, the Eastern Lowlands Gorilla, which is the larger and more populous subspecies
* Mountain gorillas generally have lighter fur then Eastern Lowland Gorillas as well, though both Eastern Gorillas subspecies are larger than the Western Gorilla subspecies

## Biology

* Males are much larger than females, and while they age they develop grey/silver hair along their backs, so they are referred to as Silverbacks
* 0-4 males are considered infants, 8-12 they are considered blackbacks, and 12+ they are considered silverbacks
* Mountain gorillas can live to 40+ years in the wild
* Human borne diseases pose a great threat to gorillas
* Gorilla individuals are rather easy to identify, as each one has a unique nose print
* Males can be as much as 5 1/2 feet tall, and reach weights around 265 - 420 lbs
* Females can reach weights of 154 - 216 lbs
* The largest mountain gorilla ever recorded was around 6 1/2 feet tall and almost weighed 500 pounds

## Behavior and Diet

* Mountain gorillas spend about 1/4 of their day eating, and primarily eat shoots and leaves, but will eat insects and bark if necessary
* Gorillas live in family groups that typically consist of about 10 individuals, with one silverback, its mates. and offspring
* These family groups are interestingly non-territorial, though the silverback will aggressively defend the area immediately surrounding its family
* About 2/3 of these groups consist of one silverback, and 1/3 have more than one, rarely all male groups have been documented as well, which usually consist of a silverback and several blackbacks
* Silverbacks can occasionally not belong to a family group and roam alone
* The mothers in a family group collectively nurse and raise the young
* Gorillas primarily nest on the ground, making a new nest every night, but do sleep in trees occasionally
* Adult males can eat around 75 lb of vegetation a day
* Usually a gorilla will leave its natal group when it is 8 if a female and 11 if it is a male, males will usually join all-male groups for a time before settling down with a female, and females may transfer between several family groups before settling with a silverback for life
* Silverbacks will often be included in the games of the juveniles, and will become the primary caretaker of any offspring who lose their mother, and will even allow them to sleep in his nest
* Like lions, when a new silverback joins a family after the previous alpha's death, he may kill the offspring of the previous alpha
* Silverbacks will not be challenged for the dominant alpha role within a family, though the meeting of groups may lead to silverbacks battling to the death
* Gorillas are actually rather shy and are interestingly afraid of many reptiles and larger insects

## Reproduction

* Adult gorilla females give birth around every 3-4 years, as this is the weaning period for a newborn gorilla and gestation is 8.5 months, very similar to that of humans
* It takes about 9 months for baby gorillas to start crawling

## Fun Facts

* Humans share about 98% of their DNA with the Mountain Gorilla
* Gorilla population numbers have been increasing in recent years after many years of sharp reductions in their numbers, though the populations are still small enough that inbreeding is a big problem