Gorilla Facts Part II

Gorilla Facts Part II

Image Source:  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Photographs_by_Pierre_Fidenci

1. Gorillas do not have tails.

2. Gorillas are very intelligent and have even been taught to use sign language to communicate with humans.

3. Gorilla groups are led by a dominant male. The leader makes the most of the decisions for the group about where and when they will travel, eat and sleep.

4. Gorillas travel throughout the day, moving as needed to find food and good resting spots.

5. Every evening, each gorilla in a group builds a crude nest made of stems and leaves. The nest can be located on the ground or in a tree. Gorillas build a new nest every night and occasionally another for their midday nap.

6. Mountain gorillas have longer and denser hair than lowland gorillas. This helps them cope with the cooler temperatures found at higher elevations.

7. When a male gorilla becomes more mature, the hair on his back turn a silver color. Because of this, a mature male gorilla is called a “silverback.” 

Image Source: "Gorilla gorilla11" by Pierre Fidenci - [1]. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gorilla_gorilla11.jpg#/media/File:Gorilla_gorilla11.jpg

8. Gorilla are “herbivores” and eat leaves, stems, bark, roots, and fruit.

9. Although normally very quiet, gorillas make over 20 different vocalizations including roars and growls of aggression, grunts and barks to coordinate group activity and movement and loud hoots that may serve to warn other gorillas away.

10. Each night, gorillas build sleeping nests by bending branches and leaves down to form a platform. These nests keep the gorillas off the cold ground and support them in the trees during the night. They build a new nest each night as they travel around in search of food.

11. The gorilla’s large size and the relatively low nutritional value of their diet means they must spend many hours each day feeding in order to maintain their body weight. An adult male gorilla may eat as much as 40 pounds of vegetation in a day. Gorillas have powerful jaws and large teeth needed to grind up the tough plant material in their diet. Gorillas rise early and spend the morning foraging and eating. During the hottest part of the day they rest before beginning to eat again until the sun goes down. In the dense forests, gorillas normally don’t have to travel very far to find enough food.

12. Gorillas are the largest living primates.

13. Gorillas are capable of learning and using sign language to communicate with humans.

14. The western lowland gorilla ranges through western central Africa, specifically Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Congo.

15. They have an opposable thumb on their hands and an opposable big toe on their feet.