Gorilla Tours Guide

Gorilla Tours Guide

Gorilla Tours Guide - Mountain Gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda

Today, Mountain gorillas (gorilla berengei) are one of the sub species of gorillas that have been threatened, not due to a demand for their meat, or their infants, but due to a demand for the lush forest in which they live. For the extremely poor communities living around the gorilla habitat, it is the forest that provides them with many of their basic human needs, and in the war torn areas of DR Congo these needs are exaggerated.

These mountain gorillas are found in 285 square miles in the rain forests of Rwanda, Uganda and Zaire.

Basic Mountain Gorilla Lifestyle
A classic gorilla family includes the strongest male, one silverback, and the undisputed leader, one immature male between 8 and 13 years old, three or four adult females, who normally stay with the silverback for life, and three to six young ones under eight years old. Some groups are larger or smaller than this, and males sometimes travel alone or form bachelor groups.

Gorillas are shy and peaceful, sleep about 13 hours each night and rest for several hours at midday. They assemble new sleeping nests every night by bending nearby plants into a squashy platform, frequently on the ground or in low trees. If not resting, they spend most of their time hunting for food. The Mountain Gorilla is primarily an herbivore; the majority of its diet is composed of the leaves, shoots and stems of plant species. It also feeds on bark, roots, flowers, and fruit, as well as small invertebrates. Adult males can eat up to 34 kg of vegetation a day, while a female can eat as much as 18 kg.

The home range size (the area used by one group of gorillas during one year) is influenced by availability of food sources and usually includes several vegetation zones.

Basing on the vocalization of these animals, the sounds classified as grunts and barks are heard most frequently while traveling, and indicate the whereabouts of individual group members. They may also be used during social interactions when discipline is required. Screams and roars signal alarm or warning, and are produced most often by silverbacks. Deep, rumbling belches suggest contentment and are heard frequently during feeding and resting periods. They are the most common form of intragroup communication.

Physical characteristics

They are quadrupedal that move on 4 feet flat on the ground and the knuckles of the hands curled and planted on the ground, and they are among the most terrestrial of the primates. They have a black or brown-gray fur with black skin on chests, palms and faces. Adult males grow a patch of silver hair on their back and hips, which has earned them the name 'silverback'. Mountain gorillas are generally larger than other subspecies. On average, adult males weigh 160 kg, and adult females 98 kg. This shows that males usually weigh as much as the females and this subspecies is on average the largest of all gorillas. Mountain gorillas have longer hair, higher foreheads and longer palates, larger nostrils, broader chests, shorter arms, shorter, wider hands and feet.

Growth of the Mountain Gorillas

Their gestation period is from 8 to12 months and is typically 3-4 years between births. Females mature at 10-12 years and the males mature while the infants stay with their mothers for 3-4 years. Therefore, the lifespan of these animals is between 30-50 years.

Behavior life

Groups are not territorial and generally avoid each other, but when they do meet, sometimes threats and fighting occur. The silverback generally defends his group rather than his territory. In the Virunga Mountain Gorillas, the average length of tenure for a dominant silverback is 4.7 years. Most males, and about 60% of females, leave their natal group. Males leave when they are about 11 years old, and often the separation process is slow: they spend more and more time on the edge of the group until they leave altogether. The dominant silverback generally determines the movements of the group, leading it to appropriate feeding sites throughout the year. Gorillas become skilled at eating, social and sexual behavior and how to rear young by the help of their mothers. They care for their babies with immense love, patience and bounciness. Mischievous young ones are regimented with harsh communication, body posturing and strong looks. The Mountain Gorilla has no mating season and females usually initiate mating behavior.

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Gorilla Tours Guide - Mountain Gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda