Facts About Gorillas
Facts About Gorillas: Gorillas are the largest living primates native to the central African forests. They belong to the genus Gorilla. Besides their size, male adults can weigh like 400 pounds. They are gentle, intelligent herbivores that live in close-knit groups. Being the largest of the great apes, which are orangutans, chimpanzees, humans, bonobos, and gorillas, gorillas have muscular, energetic arms longer than their legs. Gorillas are large, powerful animals with strong, distinguished chests and shoulders, and their hands are similar to those of humans.
Whoever is interested in primates should not be misguided about a gorilla and a chimpanzee; although they look alike, but have a lot that differentiates them. Primate enthusiasts should note that gorillas are larger, more robust, and typically herbivorous, although chimpanzees are smaller, slimmer, and more omnivorous. Other vital differences between a gorilla and a chimpanzee are that a gorilla has smaller ears and a black face, whereas a chimpanzee has prominent ears and a pinkish face. More still, a chimpanzee is more intelligent than a gorilla.
Scientific classification
- Class Mammalia
- Phylum Chordata
- Family Hominidae
- Kingdom Animalia
- Order Primates
- Tribe Gorillini
- Genus Gorilla
Gorillas have both black skin and hair but lack any hair on their face, feet, and hands. The chest of a male is bare, and simple eyes are set into a hairless face.
Species of Gorillas.
There are two species of gorillas, which live in Equatorial Africa (located near the Equator line), separated by about 560 miles of the Congo Basin Forest. Each species of gorilla has an upland and a lowland gorilla.
The western and eastern gorillas each have two subspecies; all four subspecies of gorillas are listed as endangered or critically endangered due to habitat loss, poaching, deforestation, bushmeat, and disease.
Social Structure
Unlike chimpanzees, gorillas have a well-organised and sophisticated social structure, staying in family groups typically ranging from 2 to 50 individuals.
The family is typically made up of one or two males (silverbacks), females, infants, and young adult males (blackbacks). The silverbacks head the family, and the dominant male(s) can hold on to their position of ‘head of the family’ and decision-makers for many years, until another dominant male emerges.
When a male reaches maturity and adulthood, he will either leave the family and form his own family range near the old family, or if the adult remains with the group, that is an indicator that the male is the offspring of the dominant male, and that offspring will later take over leadership of the family.
Female gorillas leave their family at maturity to join other groups or single males.
The Life Cycle and Facts About Gorillas
A female gorilla gets sexually ready at approximately 7-9 years old but does not start breeding until a few years later, and a male gorilla does not start mating until the age of 15-16 years.
Gestation period of gorillas. Female gorillas produce about once every four years. The gestation period is approximately eight and a half months (256 days), and they give birth to only one baby. The female will only have 3-4 babies in her lifetime. This slow rate of reproduction makes it hard for gorillas to recover from population declines.
Life Expectancy
The average gorilla’s life expectancy in the wild is between 30 and 40 years. Female gorillas leave their group at maturity to join other groups or single males to start up a group.
Communication
A gorilla is a quiet primate and totally shy by nature. To communicate, gorillas use several calls, including hoots, grunts, barks, and roars, which are made by aggressive males.
The gorilla is a calm and non-aggressive species, except when it is disturbed. Unwanted visitors are met head-on by the group’s silverback, who will show aggressiveness to fend off the unwanted visitors and protect his group. This aggressive display mainly involves vocal roars, chest beating, and rushing towards the intruder.
Chest beating is performed mainly by males, especially the dominant alpha male, as a sign of dominance, strength, and warning. Chest beating is part of a ritual that may also consist of tearing at vegetation, running sideways, and slapping the ground. In addition to intimidating visitors, these displays also act as communication between groups and are often used to keep the dominance hierarchy within the group.
Diet-Facts About Gorillas
Unlike chimpanzees, gorillas are totally herbivorous mammals; these large primates are mainly vegetarians, living on bamboo shoots, fruits, and stems, complemented with plant sap, insects, tree bark, and invertebrates. Western lowland gorillas have been known to feed on the larvae and other fresh buds.
