Top 25 Facts About Mountain Gorillas
Top 25 Facts About Mountain Gorillas
Top 25 Facts About Mountain Gorillas : Mountain gorillas are intelligent species that live in montane rainforest and Virunga conservation mountain. They are found in three countries Uganda, Rwanda and Congo worldwide. Below is the highlight of the facts about mountain gorillas has listed.
In the wild, they are around 1063 mountain gorillas that are still remaining which can be seen in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable national park, Rwanda’s Volcanoes national park and Congo’s Virunga national park.
There are two species of gorillas that is eastern and western. The mountain gorillas are a sub species of the eastern gorilla.
Mountain gorillas are endangered species estimated over 1063 in the wild
Mountain gorillas live in east central Africa in two isolated groups in the Virunga volcanoes, spanning in 3 national park of Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo and one in Bwindi Impenetrable national park.
They are located in high altitude montane and bamboo forest which are surrounded by agriculture sites.
They share 98% DNA to humans meaning are more likely to exposure to human diseases like malaria, flu, cough, covid-19 because they are genetically similar to us but they have not developed the necessary immunities.
They are most powerful living primates’ male mountain gorillas weighing 180kigrames and measures 170centmeter tall.
Mountain gorilla spend all day long eating, feeding on leaves and shoots as well as snails, ants and bark which is a good source of sodium.
At night, mountain gorilla’s families tend to nest on the ground or high in the tree that they make from foliage. In fact, young gorillas share with their mother’s nest in warmest.
Mountain gorillas have 16 different types of calls such as short barks which helps them to get alarmed. Male gorillas communicate with stiff legs, beat their chests and use of vocalizations ‘’roars and hoots’’.
Most mountain gorillas live in a group of around 10 individuals with one dominant male and number of females. Both males and females in the family provide care for their infants through haggling, playing with them, feeding them, grooming and carrying them.
Most males when they tend to grow older and around 60% of the female, leave their birth group to join another troop. Just know that it helps to prevent inbreeding.
In the wild gorillas can live to over 40 years old.
Gorillas are classed as infants till they reach at the age of three and a half years old and at around 8 years turn to be adults.
Male gorillas when they turn between 8-12 years are called blackbacks. From 12 years develop a silver section of hair over their back and hips ‘’named silverback’’.
Mountain gorillas are under threat by poachers who tend to kill them, risk from human contact and illnesses and local farmers who grow their farms near the forest they end up killing them when they eat their banana plantation.
They are found in a group of 30 individuals and the troop can be led by one dominant and silverback.
Mountain gorillas tend to be bit large than other gorilla species and have shorter arms.
Their diet is roots, shoots, fruits, wild celery and tree bark and pulp.
Female mountain gorillas give birth to one infant after a pregnancy of nearly to nine months.
The newborn gorillas weigh four pounds and can only cling to their mother’s fur.
Gorillas are generally calm and nonaggressive unless they are threatened.
The male gorilla tends to stand upright, make aggressive charges and pound his huge chest while barking out powerful hoots or a frightening roar.
Much of their days spend it while playing, climbing trees, chasing one another and swinging from tree branches.
Infants gorillas tend to ride on their mother’s back from the age of four months, through the first two or three years of their lives.