What is a Mountain Gorilla, Their Features, Diet & Habits?
What is a Mountain Gorilla, Their Features, Diet & Habits? : What is a mountain gorilla? Mountain gorilla is one of the two subspecies of the eastern gorilla and one of the world’s most powerful primates. These species have muscular arms, a massive chest and board hands and feet as well as longer hair and shorter arms than their lowland cousins. Mountain gorillas also have thick black hair that helps them to insulate from cold weather.
Behaviors –Mountain Gorillas
Mountain Gorillas are the gentle giant who tremendously social and live in families of 2 to 40individuals led by the silverback, a dominant male that is the chief leader and protector. The majority of males leave their biological family around 11-year-old. Some tend to move alone well others travel with other males for few years till they attract females to join them. The silverback leads the group to the best areas with abundant of food and resting throughout the year. There are conflicts that resolves through standoffs and intimidating behaviors meant to frighten intruder away without causing harm.
Mountain gorilla Female-usually gives birth when turns 10and has offspring every four or more years. Newborns are weak and weigh about four pounds. Their first movements are fast as like a human infant, but they develop almost twice as fast. Infants nurse and are weaned after they turn three when they are more independent. Unfortunately, infants are often killed by poachers.
Features of Mountain Gorillas
Current census of mountain gorillas is less than 1064 individuals left in the wild, for Gorilla trekking. Uganda hosting half the number of the total of great apes of over 600 individuals and the rest in Virunga mountains of Rwanda’s Volcanoes national park, Virunga national park in Congo and Mgahinga gorilla national park in Uganda. These critically mountain gorillas share 98% DNA with human thus making them our closest relatives. Trekking this unique species will give you a warm welcome experience in the African countries, below are the features of Gorillas;
Gorilla have short truck which are thick and broad’s chest and shoulders. Their eyes and ears are dwarfed by a large muscle and its large head.
A female gorilla give birth at about the age of 10 years of age, while a male gorilla begins breeding when he makes 12 to15 years. Female gorilla will be able to conceive two to three days each month, then give birth after every four to five years.
Gorilla family’s make up to 30 numbers more, the gorilla group are dominated by a silverback. The silverback dominates with black blacks, female gorillas and juveniles.
Mountain gorillas scream, stand on their hind legs, fetch ants in holes using stems, stamp their feet, grab foliage, beat their chests gallop in a mock attack in all fours, strike the ground with their palms and stuff food in their mouths.
The main predators of gorillas are leopard and man. Most gorillas are hunted for bush meat trade and some to use them as pets and so much more. Some gorillas fall in traps set for other animals like antelopes.
Gorillas have thick, dark and long hair on their skins that helps them to stay warm in higher cold altitudes, the fur helps them in regulating their body temperature.
They have unique nose prints just like human finger prints are unique to each individual and the feet of mountain gorillas look like those of a human being.
Mountain gorillas live in areas of higher altitude ranging between 2200 to 4500 meters though the rain forests inhabit sometimes vary in elevation above sea level.
Gorillas are susceptible to various diseases like cold, Ebola, flu, diarrhea and more.
Adult male gorillas mature in age, they develop silver fur behind their backs and will have to dominate a gorilla family to start making up their own family.
Mountain gorillas have a total of teeth just like humans, they use these teeth for breaking down vegetation. They can develop milk teeth that are permanently replaced by permanent teeth at a later age.
Female mountain gorillas undergo a gestation period of 8-9 months and give birth to one or two infants.
Diet
Gorillas are primarily herbivores, whom can eat as much as 18kilogrames of vegetation each day. They favor celery, wood and roots and they rarely need to drink because they consume succulent vegetation which is full of water and morning dew. Their diet is bamboo shoot, stems, fruits, bedstraw, stinging nettles, so gorillas eat variety of plants with a lot of moisture that is the reason why they don’t take water.
Habitats –Where do mountain gorillas live?
These endangered mountain gorillas live in three countries in the entire world spanning four national parks; Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park both in found in southwestern Uganda, Volcanoes National park in Rwanda and Virunga National Park in Democratic Republic of Congo.
Mountain gorillas permits cost USD700 in Uganda per person per trek, USD1,500 in Rwanda and USD400 in Congo per person per trek ‘’one hour spend with mountain gorillas ‘’. Uganda also offers a four-hour experience ‘’Habituation experience same amount like that of Rwanda’s one-hour gorilla trekking –USD1,500.
