Everything you need to know about mountain Gorillas

Everything you need to know about mountain Gorillas – Gorilla tracking experience

Everything you need to know about mountain gorillas – Mountain Gorillas are a fascinating animal species that live an elusive life. Not many travellers get to trek and observe them in the wild and this means very little is publicly known about them. It is only those who manage to pursue them to their mountainous abodes that get to experience the rare joy of watching a Mountain Gorilla family that live together, providing an inside look into what really transpires in this kind of family set up.

The following are the interesting facts about the Mountain Gorillas that you need to know.

Common name: Mountain Gorilla
Scientific name: Gorilla beringei beringei
Type: Mammals
Diet: Omnivores
Group name: Troop, band
Average life span: 35 years
Size: Standing height, 4 to 6 feet
Weight: 300 to 485 lbs (136 to 220 Kilograms)

Mountain Gorillas are our close relatives

You will be surprised to know just how close the genetic makeup of humans is to that of Mountain Gorillas. Research has shown that we share over 98% of our DNA with them. And just like humans, these gentle apes also have a special identifier. While humans have fingerprints, Mountain Gorillas have a distinct nose pattern that differentiates one from the other.

The similarities are not only biological but also extend to geography. The landscapes where you will typically find Mountain Gorillas are known to house the highest densities of rural human demographics in the entire world. The unfortunate thing is that this close proximity to humans comes with exposure to threats such as the spread of ailments and human-wildlife conflict.

Mountain Gorillas are only found in Africa

Africa is the only place in the world where you will find the Mountain Gorillas in their natural habitat and they live in just two populations. One population can be located in the Virunga Volcanic Mountains, East Africa within a trio of National Parks of Volcanoes National Park in Northwest Rwanda, Virunga National Park in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Southwest Uganda. The other population is in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park of Uganda.

Mountain Gorillas are shy but very strong

Don’t be misled by what you saw on “King Kong”; Mountain Gorillas aren’t always the aggressive beasts that are depicted on the big screen. On the contrary, they are actually quite shy. According to locals who live near their habitat, a Mountain Gorilla will never come after you if you look it straight into the eye and maintain eye contact.

However, they can be extremely intimidating when their habitat or family is under threat. They thump their chests and let out roars and grunts in anger. In extreme situations, an alpha male or a mother will charge at the threat and fight to the death just to protect their offspring.

Mountain Gorillas live in units of up to 25-30

The largest family of Mountain Gorillas ever known and studied was in Rwanda and led by an alpha male called Cantsbee. The silverback is the oldest known of its kind in the world and leads a troop that comprises several young males, juvenile and adult females, as well as infants.

Male Mountain Gorillas are called silverbacks

Most people assume that the word “Silverback” refers to a species of Mountain Gorillas. However, this is the name given to a mature male Gorilla and it originates from the coat of silver hair that emerges on their backside. The same way human hair turns grey when they age up.

Silverbacks lead and protect the family

Though Silverbacks lead and protect the family, they as well play the role of maintaining order and deciding the activities a family of Mountain Gorillas will partake. This will include what route to take when moving, feeding trips, and resting time. They are also almost solely responsible for mating with the adult females and bringing infants into the family.

Females start producing young ones as early as the age of 10

Female Mountain Gorillas will typically carry one or a pair of infants at any one time which are given birth to after a gestation period of eight and a half months. Generally, the female will bear two to six offspring during her lifetime.

Fussy Eaters

Given the size of a full-grown silverback, who can weigh between 140 and 180kg; you will be surprised to know that Mountain Gorillas only feed on leaves, stems, and shoots. Nevertheless, what lacks in variety is surely made up for in quantity. A Mountain Gorilla will spend almost half of its time foraging.

Their habitat in the mountain provides ample diet in lush green forests that are perfect to keep the eating going. However, there has been continued degradation of their habitat, thanks to human activities like deforestation and charcoal burning.

Mountain Gorillas are money makers

On average, a habituated Gorilla family can indirectly attract up to 2.5m Euros in revenue from tourist income during its lifetime. There are numerous travellers who visit Gorilla National Parks to see this exceptional species and the numbers have only increased over the years.

Mountain Gorillas love a comfortable sleep

Mountain Gorillas are known to construct nests for the purpose of sleeping every other evening. And once in a while, they may just build one for their afternoon siesta.

Would you love to see the Mountain Gorillas in the wild? Contact Great Adventure Safaris to find out more information and how to book a Gorilla tracking safari to Uganda the Pearl of Africa or Rwanda and everything you need to know about mountain Gorillas in general.