Gorillas

Gorillas, the largest of the living primates, are ground-dwelling omnivores that inhabit the forests of Africa. Gorillas, previously considered a single species, were recently divided into two species and five subspecies.

Class: Mammalia (Mammals)
Order: Primates
Family: Hominidae
Genus: Gorilla
Species: Gorilla gorilla (western gorilla)
Subspecies:
• Gorilla gorilla gorilla (western lowland gorilla)
• Gorilla gorilla diehli (Cross River gorilla)
Species: Gorilla berengei (eastern gorilla)
Subspecies:
• Gorilla berengei berengei (mountain gorilla)
• Gorilla berengei graueri (Grauer’s gorilla)
• Gorilla berengei (Bwindi gorilla)
Height: males—5.6 to 6 feet (1.7 to 1.8 meters); females—up to 5 feet (1.5 meters)
Weight: males—300 to 500 pounds (136 to 227 kilograms); females—150 to 200 pounds (68 to 91 kilograms)
Life span: about 35 years in the wild, up to 50 years in zoos
Gestation: 8.3 to 9 months
Number of young at birth: usually 1, rarely 2
Size at birth: 4 to 5 pounds (1.8 to 2.3 kilograms)
Age of maturity: about 13 years for males, about 10 years for females

Gorilla DNA is 97%–98% identical to that of a human, and are the next closest living relatives to humans after the two chimpanzee species. Gorillas live in tropical or subtropical forests. Although their range covers a small percentage of Africa, gorillas cover a wide range of elevations. The Mountain Gorilla inhabits the Albertine Rift montane cloud forests of the Virunga Volcanoes, ranging in altitude from 2225 to 4267 m (7300-14000 ft). Lowland Gorillas live in dense forests and lowland swamps as low as sea level.

The eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei) includes the mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) of the Virunga Volcanoes area of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the yet unnamed, but distinct, population of Uganda's Bwindi (Impenetrable) Forest, and the eastern lowland gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri). Western Africa is home to at least two additional taxa, the western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) and the Cross River gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli). The mountain, Bwindi and Cross River gorilla populations all number only in the hundreds and are considered critically endangered.

Ruhondeza. In Rukiga it means "one who sleeps a lot"

Photograph by Debbie Bloom

POPULATION/DISTRIBUTION

Source:International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources

Gorillas are primarily vegetarians, and large quantities of food are needed to sustain their massive bulk. The gorilla has 48 chromosomes, like the chimpanzee, bonobo, and orangutan, with a very similar banding pattern to the 46 chromosomes of humans. They live in close-knit groups of five to 30 gorillas led by a patriarch - the large,dominant male called a silverback because of the distinctive grey saddle pattern that grows in at maturity.Even when they wander, gorillas rarely venture far - usually staying within a range of roughly 15 square miles in search of the shoots and berries they live on.

Koko signing "Help"

Koko , a gorilla, has a working vocabulary of over 500 signs and has emitted over 400 more. Koko understands approximately 2,000 words of spoken English. Koko initiates the majority of conversations with her human companions and typically constructs statements averaging three to six words. Koko has a tested IQ of between 70 and 95 on a human scale, where 100 is considered "normal."

Threats To Gorillas

Gorilla are endangered, and have been subject to intense poaching for a long time. The Ebola virus is depleting Western Gorilla populations to a point where it might become impossible for them to recover. Commercial hunting, civil unrest and habitat loss due to logging and forest clearance for palm oil plantations are compounding the problem.

• The Great Apes

  • Bonobos

  • Chimpanzees

  • Gorillas

  • Orangutans

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Credit: Wikipedia, IUCN, San Diego Zoo