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Gorilla Interesting Information Will Really Surprise You
Gorillas belong to the ape family and their DNA is almost identical to that of humans. Gorillas are close relatives of animals like chimpanzees and bonobos. The name gorilla refers to four different subspecies of animals.
Gorillas share 98 percent of their DNA with humans and not only this, they are quite smart in learning language and using tools. You will be surprised to know that the closest relatives of gorillas are humans and chimpanzees.
All of them separated from the same ancestor about 7 million years ago and the human gene sequence differs only by 1.6% from the gorilla sequences. It is believed that gorillas used to be our distant ancestors about 7 million years ago. The gorilla species is from the natural tropical and subtropical forests in the central part of Central African in sub-Saharan Africa.
Let us also tell you that the word gorilla originated from the history of the navigator Carthaginian explorer Hanno during an expedition on the West African coast where he encountered these wild people. Most of the women of which were covered with hair on their skin. After this, they came to be known as Gorilla, which means tribe of hairy women in Greek.
Where Are Gorilla Found
Gorillas can be seen living in the natural tropical and subtropical dense forests and swampy areas of Africa. Apart from this, western gorillas live in central west African countries and eastern gorillas reside in the Republic of Congo.
The class of gorillas can be distinguished between several categories namely Cross River Gorilla, Eastern Lowland Gorilla and Western Gorilla which can be divided into 3 to 4 subspecies.
Earlier times gorillas were considered to be a single species with three subspecies but now it is agreed that there are two main species and two subspecies of each of them.
All these species evolved from the same type of gorilla during the ice age when their habitats shrank and were isolated from each other. Mountain gorillas can also be found near the high altitude Virunga Mountains and Virunga National Park.
Gorillas living in lowland areas can be seen living in more dense forests, swamps. Western lowland gorillas mostly reside in West Africa and eastern gorillas are found in Congo. Even though the number of gorillas in Central Africa is quite high, it is still considered one of the most endangered apes.
Apart from this, gorillas can also be considered shy. The population of gorillas living in the forests is decreasing rapidly and it is seriously endangered. One of the interesting facts about gorillas is that a gorilla is four times more powerful than a human.
Scientific Name Of Gorilla
The scientific name of Eastern Gorilla is beringei and apart from this Gorilla is a type of ape which belongs to the Hominidae family. Gorilla is known as the largest ape in the primate family and they originated from the sub-Saharan tropical regions of Africa.
The Eastern lowland gorilla is also found in the Virunga mountains and Congo. Apart from this there are other different types of gorillas like Rwandan gorilla, red gorilla, Ugandan gorilla and silverback gorilla.
Gorillas are mammalian animals and give birth to a baby. Wild gorillas are more attractive creatures rather than being cute and baby gorillas look cute during their infant stage.
Habitat Of Gorilla
The habitat of these animals is located in tropical forests and lowlands which are known for long periods of dry season. These areas have densely leafy trees, succulent plants and thorny bushes. Apart from this, gorillas also reside in swamps full of vegetation.
Gorillas hardly drink much water and get their water by consuming greens, plants. Some of their species such as mountain gorillas, reside in places of higher altitudes which are full of biodiversity and are also fertile areas for plants.
Gorillas mostly prefer to live in family groups and this group of gorillas is called a troop which consists of a male gorilla or several females and their children.
Silverback is a species of gorilla which consists of dominant male gorillas and is mostly more than 12 years old. Apart from this, they have a patch of silver hair on their back which gives them the name silverback.
Some male gorillas in their species may also leave their families to form their own new troops by attracting female gorillas.
The females move to other groups when their silverback dies and there is no one to protect them because without the silverback the babies will die or be eaten by leopards. The silverback is a responsible gorilla who makes decisions, resolves conflicts, leads others to food, and protects the troop.
How Do Gorilla Look Like
Gorillas are the largest living primates that grow up to a height of five or six feet and the body of the gorilla is covered with dark brown, black or jet black hair. Their body is strong and gorillas walk with the help of their knuckles.
The fur of eastern gorillas is darker in appearance than that of western gorillas and the darkest are mountain gorillas which are also known to have the thickest hair. Western lowland gorillas mostly look brown and their forehead is red.
Apart from this, lowland gorillas are more slender and agile than the heavy mountain gorillas. The face of eastern gorillas is longer and chest is broader than that of western gorillas and not only this, gorillas are also known to have fingerprints like humans. Read- Potoo Looks Like Broken Part Of A Tree This Unique Bird
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Height And Weight Of Gorilla
These animals are known as the largest apes that live among wildlife on earth. Gorillas are recognized by their huge body size which looks distinctly larger than other primates.
The height of a male gorilla is around 4 feet 7 inches or 5 feet 11 inches and female gorillas are around 4 feet 1 inch or 4 feet 11 inches. In terms of weight, male gorillas weigh around 136 kg or 227 kg and wild female gorillas weigh around 68 kg or 113 kg.
What Do Gorillas Eat
Gorillas are herbivorous animals. The species of the western lowland gorilla population feed on bamboo shoots, stems and fruits and that is all they eat. Apart from this, gorillas are known to eat termites, termite larvae and ants.
How Do Gorilla Reproduce
The reproductive cycle of western gorillas, eastern gorillas, Congo gorillas, Rwandan gorillas, and the like is based on a few factors including their reproductive cycle.
Female eastern lowland gorillas are known to reach sexual maturity around the age of 10 to 12 years and despite their cycle starting early, they remain infertile until the age of 10.
In the gorilla species, the silverback gorilla mates with all the females in its troop and the female gorilla is the one who initiates the mating process when she is ready to mate with the male. Female gorillas address male gorillas by slowly making constant eye contact and pursing their lips.
When male gorillas fail to respond, female gorillas approach other males in the group for mating. Gorillas are also known to build their nests on the ground.
After mating, any female gorilla, including Eastern gorillas, Cross River gorillas and other species of gorillas, has a gestation period of about 8 months which is similar to humans and gives birth to only one baby.
Gorillas give birth to 1 baby every four years and a maximum of 8 babies in their lifetime. Apart from this, pregnant female mountain gorillas in the Virunga Mountains in Central Africa and Congo feed, stretch and give birth to the baby in the morning.
A baby gorilla is completely helpless from birth to about three months and spends most of its time in its mother's lap. The baby also has the ability to cling tightly to its mother's chest or back.
But during that time the baby is not able to take care of itself or walk and at birth a baby gorilla weighs only 2 or 3 kg. Read- Crested Auklet Facts And Information With Picture
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How Long Do Gorilla Live
Gorillas living in the wild live between about 20 and 40 years while those in zoos have been known to live up to the age of 40. The oldest known gorilla living in a zoo was a female western lowland gorilla named Trudy.
But she died in 2019 at the Little Rock Zoo at the age of 63. Also she was considered to be the last captive gorilla in North America that was captured in the wild. As of 2021, a gorilla named Fatou is believed to be 64 years old and this makes Fatou the oldest gorilla in the world.
How Fast Can Gorilla Run
Gorillas are known to be a knuckle-walking species of forest wildlife apes when gorillas move around in their habitat. But gorillas can run on both their feet when carrying food. Gorillas can reach speeds of up to 25 kilometres per hour when using their knuckles.
How Gorillas Communicate
Gorilla species communicate in a variety of ways. Gorillas have been observed using sounds, facial expressions, gestures, and postures to communicate with other gorillas.
Gorilla species are mostly affectionate and gentle creatures and are known to make about 22 different sounds to express emotions such as happy giggles and scared screams.
Gorillas also burp when they feel satisfied. Apart from these, gorillas also address other gorillas by rubbing their noses and even hugging.
How Many Gorilla Are There In The World
All species of gorillas are currently considered critically endangered and their populations are declining. It is estimated that only about 4,000 eastern lowland gorillas and about 880 mountain gorillas remain in the wild.
Of those two groups, only about 2,600 are mature gorillas and about 300,000 western lowland gorillas remain but their population is experiencing a double-digit percentage decline. In addition, there are only about 250 to 300 Cross River gorillas left in a small area around the Cross River.
Sadly, the biggest threat to these animals currently comes from humans. Exposure to disease, deforestation, trophy hunting, and even subsistence hunting to feed logging crews have had a terrible impact on the gorilla population.
Gorillas share 98 percent of their DNA with humans so many of the diseases that affect our species are also experienced by gorilla populations.
At best, conservation efforts have focused on eliminating physical contact between humans and wild gorilla populations because their immune systems cannot handle the diseases that humans spread.
Behavior Of Gorilla
The species of gorilla population are mostly very gentle creatures that are not very territorial. Gorillas are rarely violent but gorillas can be more dangerous when provoked. Gorillas can show fear by beating their chests and their brute strength can even frighten off strong predators.
Gorilla Facts For Kids
1. Do gorillas eat meat?
Many zoo gorillas eat cooked or raw meat in their diet and there is some evidence that gorillas living in the wild can sometimes eat substances of animal origin.
2. Which is the largest gorilla in the world?
The largest gorilla in the world is the eastern lowland gorilla also known as the Grauer gorilla and it is the largest of the four gorilla subspecies. It looks different from other gorillas due to its thick body, large hands and short snout.
3. Are gorillas stronger than humans?
Gorillas are the largest of the great apes. Apart from this, gorillas are 10 times more powerful than humans. Gorillas share 98.3% of their DNA with us, due to which gorillas are considered our closest relatives after chimpanzees and bonobos.
4. What are gorillas known for?
Gorillas are considered one of the most powerful and fascinating animals not only for their size and strength but also for their human-like behavior. Apart from this, gorillas roam large areas and help spread the seeds of the fruits they eat.
5. Are gorillas 100% vegetarian?
Gorillas prefer to eat a mainly vegetarian diet, eating stems, bamboo shoots and fruits. But western lowland gorillas also like termites and ants and break termite nests to eat larvae.
6. Who eats gorillas?
The only predator that hunts these animals is the leopard. Let us also tell you that Walter Baumgartel found the remains of several gorillas killed by leopards in the Virunga volcanoes.
7. Are gorillas friendly towards humans?
Gorillas are mostly very shy and hesitant towards people. Gorillas will only attack if they are surprised or intimidated or a person behaves in the wrong way.
8. How strong are female gorillas?
Female gorillas are strong and the strength of a female gorilla is estimated to be about 10 times their body weight. A fully grown silverback is actually stronger than about 20 humans.
9. What are female gorillas called?
Young adults between the ages of 8-12 are called blackbacks because they have black backs. After that, they are known as silverbacks. Apart from this, their backs are silver and there are no specific terms for female gorillas.
10. Are gorillas intelligent?
Gorillas are considered to be highly intelligent and some gorillas have been taught a subset of sign language in captivity. Apart from this, gorillas can laugh, mourn, lead a rich emotional life. Not only this, gorillas can develop strong family bonds, make and use tools and think about the past and future.