ORDER
LOWLAND GORILLA
PRIMATES
ORDER
Primates
FAMILY
Pongidae
GENUS & SPECIES
Gorilla gorilla
HABITAT
TROPICAL
RAINFOREST
DIET
HERBIVORE
STATUS
2
ENDANGERED
FACTS & FIGURES
Height
Arm span
Weight
Pregnancy
Young born
Life span
MALE
1.8m
2.4m
275kg
35 years (50 in captivity)
FEMALE
1.5m
2.4m
90kg
36 – 40 weeks
1
DESCRIPTION
The gorilla is the largest primate, it is also
an ape. Apes have no tail and their arms
are longer than their legs. They walk on all
fours using the knuckles of their hands
rather than the palms with most of their
weight on their back feet. The chest is
barrel-shaped and the coat is dark brown.
The male has a silvery white saddle which
extends to his rump and thighs. Adult
males are known as silver backs. The
hands are very broad and strong with a
larger thumb than the fingers. The feet
have big toes which are less widely
separated than in most other apes. The
gorilla has small ears and the nostrils are
bordered by broad ridges which extend to
the upper lip.
The teeth are much larger than in other
apes as they are needed to sustain the huge
bulk of the animal. This means bigger jaw
and neck muscles. These are attached to a
tall, bony crest at the back of the skull
which alters the shape of the head.
Gorillas, particularly males, have very
large canine teeth.
Gorillas spend most of their time on the
ground eating leaves and stems rather than
fruit. The herbs, shrubs and vines that
make up most of the gorilla’s diet are found
in secondary forest which allows plenty of
light to reach the forest floor.
POINTS OF INTEREST
The gorilla is a peaceful animal and does
not maintain a territory. They live in
groups consisting of about 12 members. A
single mature silver back has a harem of
adult females, immature animals and a
small number of younger ‘black back’
males. When the leader is past his prime
he simply steps down to the next most
senior candidate. Lone silver back males
are common and fights almost never occur.
Females leave the natal groups at puberty
to join other troops which means that the
females in a group are usually unrelated.
There is a strong bond between the females
and the silver back but not to each other.
During the rest period the females will
present themselves to the silver back to be
groomed. Social grooming among adult
females is rare. Mothers groom their
offspring and offspring groom each other
and sometimes present themselves to the
silver back to be groomed. Females with
very young babies tend to sit closest to the
silver back at rest times so that the young
become used to him and he becomes their
focus. Even when playing the young will
keep within his range of protection. The
gorillas use their fingers to comb through
the fur and the teeth to remove dirt and
parasites. This social grooming helps to
enforce relationships within the troop.
Each evening gorillas build a nest for the
night. The gorillas bend twigs and branches
to form a platform. Young gorillas share a
nest with their mother but the instinct is so
strong they they practice making their own
nests from an early age. The nest keeps
them off the cold ground and prevents them
sliding down a steep slope.
NATURAL DIET
The gorilla’s large size means that they
cannot travel long distances, forage and
digest their food. Their territory is fairly
small and often shared by several groups.
Their food supply is abundant so they do
not need to go very far to find enough food
to supply their needs. The troop will not
stay long at a feeding site; they only crop
the vegetation and do not strip it. This
means that the vegetation quickly renews
itself. They normally feed during the
morning and afternoon and rest at mid-day
for a few hours.
LONGLEAT DIET
Summer – Apples, oranges, bananas,
cabbage, carrots, lettuce, brown bread,
primate cubes, dog biscuits, whole maize,
sunflower seeds, monkey nuts, 2.5 litres of
blackcurrent
juice,
Haliborange,
multivitamin and iron tablets. Grass on the
island is cropped in summer and winter
and branches with leaves are supplied
daily in the summer.
Winter – As the summer, the Gorillas have
a mixed diet of vitamin-rich fruits and
vegetables throughout the day. The drinks
of blackcurrent juice are continued through
the winter.
© Longleat
COMMUNICATION & LIFESTYLE
Gorillas communicate with a variety
of grunts and hoots. Aggression is
extremely rare and almost never becomes
physical. When a lone silver back suddenly
appears the resident silver back will
perform an elaborate threat display. It
starts with a series of hoots which become
progressively louder, culminating in an ear
splitting roar. He will rise to full height,
tearing vegetation and dashing sideways.
Then he beats his cupped palms on his
chest barking and roaring. If this does not
deter the intruder, the silver back may
charge, waving his arms and screaming
with rage – all designed to intimidate the
rival and possibly impress and attract his
females. The charge stops short of contact
and the 2 males will stand glaring at each
other, nose to nose until one or other turns
and walks away.
Gorillas do not have a distinct breeding
season. Newborn babies weigh 1.8 –2.3kg
and their skin is thinly covered with hair.
They begin to crawl at about 9 weeks and
walk from 4–9 months. They are weaned at
2.5–3 years old. Females give birth at
roughly 4 year intervals but as 40–50% of
the young die in the first 3 years, the
female will only produce a surviving infant
every 6–8 years.
WORLD
DISTRIBUTION
GORILLA – Africa, in tropical secondary
forest. The eastern Lowland Gorilla live in
eastern Congo, western Lowland Gorilla
are found in west and eastern central
Africa. The Mountain Gorilla can be found
in the Virunga range of Volcanoes
between Rwanda, Uganda, the Congo, as
well as the Bwindi Impenetrable National
Park of Uganda.
CONSERVATION
The single species of Gorilla is divided into
three subspecies. They are the Western
Lowland Gorilla, The Eastern Lowland
Gorilla and the rarest of all, the Mountain
Gorilla. Although it is hard to give exact
numbers, it is estimated that there are only
somewhere in the region of 122,600
Gorillas living the wild. Of these the most
critical is the Mountain Gorilla with
numbers down to only 660. The main
reasons for their decline is human
encroachment
(mainly
agriculture),
poaching, which is done mainly for their
hands and heads to be sold as trophies, and
for meat. War in some African states has
also taken its toll.
Longleat has for many years supported gorilla
conservation charities such as 'The Gorilla
Organisation (previously the Dian Fossey
Fund) and will continue to support others
such as 'TUSK' in the future. Over the years
visitors to Longleat have donated thousands
of pounds to help gorillas in the wild.
GORILLA & MAN
DID YOU KNOW?
The morning dew on the
vegetation provides most of the
moisture a gorilla needs.
Man has the
larger brain
When they have been seen to
drink they soak their hand and
suck the water from the back of
their hand.
© Longleat
The number of gorillas
surviving in the wild is not
accurately known.
Protection by males is
important for the females as
about a quarter of infant deaths
are caused by a male that is not
the babies father.
Gorilla has
the larger
skull