THE GORILLA, TYPES, GESTATION, LIFE SPAN, HABITAT AND FEEDING HABIT

 

SPECIES

1.      MOUNTAIN GORILLA:

The mountain gorilla is one of two subspecies of the eastern gorilla. It is listed as endangered by the IUCN as of 2018. They are only about 1,000 mountain gorilla left. A mountain gorilla is about the same height, though they tend weigh a bit more.

They are 4 to 6 feet tall and weigh 300 to 485 165 (135 to 220kg). According to the world wildlife federation and (WWF) gorillas are the world’s largest primate.

2.     WESTERN GORILLA:

The western gorilla is a great ape found in Africa, one of two species of the hominid genus gorilla.

3.     WESTERN LOWLAND GORILLA:

The western lowland gorilla is one of two critically endangered subspecies of the western gorilla that lives in montane, primary and secondary forest and lowland swampland in central Africa.

GESTATION

A gorilla gestation period is 275 days. The gorilla’s gestation period is about 8.5 months. It is difficult to tell if a female gorilla is pregnant since3 her stomach is large to begin with (for food digestion). However, some females have swollen knuckles temporarily during pregnancy. Gorillas reproduce slowly, giving birth to only one baby at a time and then raising that infant for several years before given birth. Gorilla females give birth to their first offspring at around 10 years old.

LIFE SPAN OF THE GORILLA

The life span of a gorilla is 34-40 years, in the wild gorillas can live to over 40 years old. Fatou, the world’s oldest gorilla receives a rice cake with fruit on her 65^th birthday at the Berlin zoo in Germany on April 13, 2022. Fatou a Western Lowland Gorilla is believed to be the oldest in the world, just celebrated her birthday at the Berlin zoo.

HABITAT OF GORILLA

Gorillas typically live in the lowland tropical rain forests of Central Africa although some other subspecies are found in Montane rainforest (between 1,500 and 3,500 meters) and in bamboo forest (between 2,500 to 3,000 meters). The home of a gorilla is called a nest. Young gorillas often make their nest in tress and older gorillas make theirs on the ground.

FEEDING HABIT

Gorillas stick to a mainly vegetarian diet feeding on stems, bamboo shots and fruits. Western Lowland Gorillas however also have appetite for termites and ants and break open termite nests to eat the larvae.

Gorilla’s favorite food appears to be bamboo, but mountain gorillas eat many other types of plant.