Do all male gorillas become silverbacks8/28/2023 ![]() Where Can I See Gorillas In The Wild?Īll the gorilla species can be seen in the wild. Gorillas have been noted to form strong family bonds as well as get very familiar and safe with humans, especially the guides and researchers they are used to. Koko the gorilla (in San Francisco Zoo) was able to learn sign language and had a working vocabulary of more than 1000 words. Gorillas are highly intelligent animals that can learn sign language, use tools, display emotion, and show compassion. Scroll through the above gallery and try noticing the differences. The nose pattern (nose print) of each gorilla is unique and you can easily tell similarly sized individuals apart by their nose pattern. While you won't be able to easily take a look at the fingerprints of various gorillas, gorillas have unique nose patterns that can be used for identification. This simply shows how closely related we are as animals. Gorillas, like humans, have unique fingerprints. We share around 98% of DNA and it is believed that we diverged from a common ancestor some 7 million years ago.īesides the DNA evidence, the complex social structures of gorillas show a high level of intelligence. Gorillas are our closest animal cousins after chimpanzees and bonobos. The young females go and join the family of another silverback, or start a new family with other young silverbacks that are also looking to establish a new group. Females reach sexual maturity earlier than males at 9 years and males reach their sexual maturity at 10 years.īoth males and females are cast out of the family group when they are old enough to mate to prevent inbreeding with the females and to ensure that the dominant silverback retains his exclusive mating rights of all the females. Gorillas become old enough to start mating at around 9 years. Subadult Gorillas Are Cast Out Of The Family. Infant gorillas grow at twice the rate of human babies. The mother takes care of the newborn infant for around 3 years until it is old enough to walk and feed on its own. Gorillas give birth after a pregnancy of 8.5 months and often to 1 baby every 4 to 6 years. Gorillas are very very social animals with strong group cohesion among all the family members. The group is often made up of one silverback and several adult females along with their young ones. Gorillas live in family groups called troops. That being said, they are still wild animals and the rangers are usually armed to be able to disperse them in case of emergencies. Young gorillas are the ones who can at times try playing with visitors. Even looking into a gorilla's eyes, you will not feel threatened in any way but rather connected. On a gorilla trekking trip, you are usually accompanied by a ranger who ensures that you keep some social distance from the gorillas, but if they come towards you, the general rule is to stay calm and in one place. There is a reason why most people who have been around them refer to gorillas as gentle giants. While gorillas in movies are sometimes portrayed as dangerous creatures, they are in fact very calm and gentle. This is unlike our other cousins, the chimps and orangutans.īecause they are big and heavy, gorillas would risk falling and injury and thus do not climb very often. Infant and juvenile gorillas will be seen climbing trees more often because they are quite light and small but gorillas of all ages are good at climbing. Gorillas are very capable climbers but spend less time in the trees and more time on the ground. Gorillas eat around 10% of their body weight, and adults eat 20 to 30 kilograms of vegetation every day. When they are resting, the adults will sit and calmly watch the young gorillas play about with each other. Gorillas normally feed more during the mornings and evenings but can keep eating, like a sort of snacking throughout the day until it is time to fill up before the night. Gorillas can eat for about a quarter of their whole day and the rest is spent moving to look for food or resting. Gorillas spend their day either eating or resting. Since they have to eat barks and piths as well as some bamboo, gorillas have physically adapted to have a strong bite. They have a bite force of 1300 PSI (pounds per square inch), which is more than 6 times that of a human. Gorillas Can Bite Harder Than A Lionįor vegetarians, gorillas have a strong bite force and can bite harder than a lion. Related article: What do gorillas eat? 4. Gorillas can also eat ants and termites but this doesn't even make 4% of their diet and this serves as a source of sodium and other minerals. ![]() The exact food varies depending on the location as well as the season, especially for fruits and young bamboo. ![]() ![]() Gorillas survive on a vegetarian diet of mostly leaves, stems, shoots, pith, stems, barks, and fruits.
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