How do silverbacks

They eat roots, shoots, fruit, wild celery, and tree bark and pulp. Female gorillas give birth to one infant after a pregnancy of nearly nine months. Unlike their powerful parents, newborns are tiny—weighing four pounds—and able only to cling to their mothers' fur. These infants ride on their mothers' backs from the age of four months through the first two or three years of their lives.

Young gorillas, from three to six years old, remind human observers of children. Much of their day is spent in play, climbing trees, chasing one another, and swinging from branches. In captivity, gorillas have displayed significant intelligence and have even learned simple human sign language. All rights reserved. Common Name: Mountain Gorilla. Scientific Name: Gorilla beringei beringei. Type: Mammals. Diet: Omnivore.

Group Name: Troop, band. Size: Standing height: 4 to 6 feet. Weight: to pounds. Size relative to a 6-ft man:. Least Concern Extinct.

Donate now. Archive Content Please note: This page has been archived and its content may no longer be up-to-date. Toggle navigation. Language English. Gorilla News. Key facts. Common name Common names. Geographic place Location Tropical and subtropical forests in Central Africa. Latin name Species Western gorilla Gorilla gorilla spp , eastern gorilla Gorilla beringei spp. Endangered Status Endangered to Critically Endangered, depending on the subspecies.

Gorilla news. Intelligent, charismatic, and endangered Gorillas are our closest living relatives after chimpanzees and bonobos. Western gorilla: Western lowland gorilla G. More on threats to gorillas Physical description The largest living primates, gorillas are stocky animals with broad chests and shoulders, large hands, and forearms that are much shorter than the upper arm. The face is black and hairless, with small eyes that are close together and large, prominent nostrils.

In comparison, western lowland gorillas have shorter hair that is gray or brown with a tendency to red on their heads. To add to these differences, lighter hair on western silverbacks stretches to their thighs, as opposed to the more defined patch in the otherwise dark backs of eastern gorillas. Size: Adult males weigh up to kg, with females around half this size.

Can reach a height of 1. Orphaned Western Lowland Gorilla reintroduced into the wild. Try This! Explore More. Mountain gorillas spend most of their time eating a variety of plants, insects, and worms. Common Name: Mountain Gorilla. Scientific Name: Gorilla beringei beringei. Type: Mammals. Diet: Omnivore. Group Name: Troop, band. Size: Standing height: 4 to 6 feet.

Top10 facts about mountain gorillas. Adopt a gorilla. Make a donation. Around 1, exist in the wild There are two species of gorilla : eastern and western. Read more about our work to protect mountain gorillas. They can eat all day long Mountain g orillas spend about a quarter of their day eating mainly leaves and shoots, but have also been known to eat snails, ants and bark a good source of sodium.

They cozy up at night At night, mountain gorilla groups sleep together in nests on the ground, or in trees, that they make from foliage. They live in family groups Most mountain gorillas live in stable family groups of around 10 individuals, with one dominant male and several females. In the wild, gorillas can live to over 40 years old Gorillas are classed as infants until they reach around three-and-a-half years old, and adults from around 8 years.

Watch our YouTube video about Mountain Gorillas.