5 Amazing Facts About Mountain Gorillas
Mountain gorillas are known as the second close relative of man after the chimps which shares almost 98% of human genes and it’s the largest member of the great ape family. An adult male silver-back, which age from 12 and above can weigh up to 470 pounds and can reach six feet in height.
Habitat
Mountain gorillas live in close-knit family groups that may have up to 30 members and the group consists of a dominant male called a silver-back because of the grey hair which grow around its back, the silver-back is responsible for any activity taking place in the group these include knowing where to sleep the following night, where to feed from, defends the group against any attack together with other males and even if meaning losing life a silver-back can do in order to defend the group. Other members in a family include few subordinate males and multiple females and infants.
Diet
Mountain gorillas are purely vegetarian mainly feed on plants, leaves, buds, shoots, tuber, stalks, fruits and ferns and sometimes aunts and rarely drink water since most of the food they eat comprises too much water.
Gestation Period
A female normally last with the pregnancy for about 8-10 months, they give birth for the first time at 10 years and will have more offspring’s every three or four years, they normally produce one child, twins are a herd of in life of gorillas.
Life Span
They live to up to 50 years in the wild; gorillas can live up to 50 years where as in captivity they may live less than 35 years
Population
By the time of writing, there about 1060 individuals left in two populations; Bwindi Forest in Uganda and the Virunga Massif that is shared by three countries Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo
Threats to mountain gorillas
There major threats are human who practice deforestation to generate farmland, leaving them displaced. Poaching for trade meat and medicine is also another threat resulting into reduction in number. Also other wild animals like leopard also attack and kill them especially the young gorillas. The snares set for other animals kill gorillas. Let us work together for the survival of these endangered species by tracking/trekking them you are adding on their survival.