General Information
Image courtesy of Paul Massicot
Gorillas belong to the order Primates, along with chimpanzees and orangutans. They are the largest of the great apes, which are divided into three subspecies: western lowland gorillas, eastern lowland gorillas, and mountain gorillas. All three subspecies are very similar and only have slight differences in physical characteristics. Mountain gorillas are the largest and most powerful of all the apes. Unlike other great apes, gorillas move, eat and sleep in stable family groups. They have highly developed social groups and live in large home ranges. A typical group consists of one to two silverback males and four or more unrelated females with their young. Mountain gorillas typically live an average of 35 years.
Physical Description:
The mountain gorilla is the largest Primate, with an average size of 150 cm
for females and 185 cm for males. They are dimorphic mammals that are capable
of standing upright but usually walk in a stooped position, with the help
of their knuckles on their hands. Mountain gorillas have muscular bodies,
long arms, short legs, and massive heads with a flat nose and flaring nostrils.
Females tend to weigh about 100 kg and males weigh an average of 160 kg.
Females and younger males have long, black hair. Mature males, around the
age of 11, develop a large patch of silver or gray hair on their backs and
are therefore, given the name, silverback. The gorilla is very closely related
to humans, with their DNA being 97.7% the same as ours.
Communication:
Gorillas are able to communicate with one anther by using sounds and body language. Their actions are reflective upon the dominance in the group. Twenty-five different sounds have been observed, with each having a slightly different meaning. Their ability to learn sign language and communicate shows that their intelligence is superior to many other animals.