Habitat and Food
Mountain gorillas only live in central Africa in the Bwinda Impenetrable Forest in Uganda and in the Virgunga Volcano regions of Rwanda, Uganda, and Zaire. They are found at elevations of 1,500 to 3,500 meters. Mountain gorillas tend to stay around the bamboo forest zones, especially the Hagenia forest, since it is leafy and moist and provides a constant abundance of food. Mountain gorillas are highly endangered since their population is restricted due to encroachment on their habitat and hunting by humans. There are approximately 620 mountain gorillas left in these areas with zero in captivity. Mountain gorillas typically spend their days eating, resting and traveling between feedings in the late afternoon. The dominant male will pick a sight where the group will spend the night since mountain gorillas never sleep in the same nest area twice. They build nests and sleep in either trees, steep slopes or on the ground. This is one of the reasons why habit mountain gorillas occupy such a large habitat.
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Gorillas spend a substantial amount of their day eating. They are primarily vegetarians and eat leaves, flowers, stems, shoots, fruits, and occasionally small insects and snails. Mountain gorillas differ from other gorillas in that their range of food items is smaller and half of their diet consists of herbaceous items (Maple & Hoff, 1982). Males can eat up to 50 pounds of plants every day. Their favorite plants to eat are the leaves of the hagenia and hypericum trees. The majority of their foods are found year-round in the Hagenia forests, their primary habitat. Gorillas do not drink water but they are able to maintain a sufficient amount of water from their diet. |
