Gorillas

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Gorillas are a type of primate called an ape. Other apes include orangutans, chimpanzees and humans! There are two species of gorillas, Eastern Gorillas and Western Gorillas.

Eastern Gorillas live in East Africa. There are two subspecies of Eastern Gorillas called East Lowland Gorillas and Mountain Gorillas. Western Gorillas live in West Africa. There are two subspecies of Western Gorillas called West Lowland Gorillas and Cross River Gorillas.

Gorillas are only found in the wild in Africa. They like to live in forest and mountain habitats. Their names give you clues about where they live!

Male gorillas grow to a similar height to humans, if not a bit taller. They can weigh up to 600 pounds. Female gorillas are smaller and weigh about 300 pounds. They are covered in fur which is dark in colour, apart from on their faces, hands, and feet. Older male gorillas have silver fur on their backs and are are called Silverbacks. They also have a bony crest on top of their head. Gorillas walk on all fours, using their arms, which are longer than their legs.

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East and West Lowland Gorillas and Cross River Gorillas are critically endangered and Mountain Gorillas are endangered. They are in very real danger of becoming extinct.

The reasons they are so endangered are because humans have been taking over their habitat, cutting down trees and using the space for themselves. They also get caught in traps set by humans and have been affected by wars being fought around them and even from getting ill from viruses.

Can you believe it...

One famous gorilla called Koko learnt sign language which she used to communicate with humans.

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Gorillas, like chimpanzees are very similar to humans. They are very intelligent animals. They can use tools in a similar way to humans, such as using sticks to measure how deep water is or a bit like cutlery to eat with. They have been seen using objects like umbrellas to keep dry in the rain, creating ladders to help younger gorillas climb trees and even taking apart traps they have come across that very unkind humans have set for them.

Gorillas are incredibly strong and powerful. They are thought to be ten times stronger than a human and amazingly a male gorillas bite is stronger than a lions! But they are peaceful creatures and would only use this amazing strength in defence. When threatened, gorillas would instead pound their chest or bare their teeth in the hope that this would be scary enough for them to be left alone.

Gorillas live in groups a bit like a family, with one, or maybe two silverback gorilla in charge. These groups are called a troop or a band and can be quite big, with up to about 30 gorillas living together. The troop is mainly made up of female and baby gorillas but there may be some younger male gorillas too. Baby gorillas are well cared for in the troop, staying close to their mother for a long time.

They have lots of different ways of communicating with each other. They use different sounds, facial expressions, body language and movements of their hands for example. They show emotions, like happiness and sadness, in similar ways to humans.

Gorillas are omnivores, which means they eat plants and animals but their diet is mainly made up of plants and fruit. They like to eat things such as leaves, flowers, stems and shoots from plants, as well as fruit. Occasionally they will eat small insects, such as ants or termites.

Gorillas spend a lot of their time eating and most of their time on the ground. But they are able to climb trees and will do this sometimes to sleep and eat. They create nests to sleep in, out of leaves and sticks, either on the ground or in trees.

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