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Gorilla Gifts

Gorillas are the largest of the living primates. They are ground-dwelling and predominantly herbivorous. They inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies. The DNA of gorillas is 98%–99% identical to that of a human, and they are the next closest living relatives to humans after the two chimpanzee species. Gorillas live in tropical or subtropical forests. Although their range covers a small percentage of Africa, gorillas cover a wide range of elevations.

Silverbacks are the strong, dominant troop leaders. Each typically leads a troop (group size ranges from 5 to 30) and is in the center of the troop's attention, making all the decisions, mediating conflicts, determining the movements of the group, leading the others to feeding sites and taking responsibility for the safety and well-being of the troop. Blackbacks may serve as backup protection.


Gorilla Facts

  • Gorillas possess 98% of the same nuclear DNA as humans

  • There's a greater degree of difference between gorilla & chimp DNA in contrast to gorilla & human DNA

  • Gorillas are the biggest primate (note humans are primates)

  • Gorillas, chimpanzees and humans are classified under the same family--Hominidae

  • Gorillas and chimps used to be classified under the family Pongidae--Now only the orangutan remains in the Pongidae family

  • There're two species of gorilla: Western Gorilla and Eastern Gorilla

  • The largest subspecies of gorilla is the Grauer's gorilla (eastern lowland gorilla)

  • A group of gorillas is called a troop

  • A silverback gorilla is so-called because of the greyish/silver patch he gains on his back when he attains maturity

  • Eastern gorillas tend to have blacker hair than their Western counterparts who tend to be browner

  • Gorillas have hair not fur

  • Mountain gorillas have longer hair, larger jaws and teeth, smaller noses and shorter arms than other gorillas

  • Gorilla arms are longer than their legs and in the western gorilla, the male's arm span extends 7-9 feet A greater length than the gorilla is tall

  • Not a single one of the gorillas in zoos around the world is a mountain gorilla--they are all lowland (western) gorillas

  • The gorillas you see in movies are usually western gorillas, that's why they look so different from the one's seen on safari

  • Mountain gorillas tend to die in captivity

  • Most gorillas seen on safari are habituated mountain gorillas (bwindi subspecies too)

  • Gorillas are mainly folivorous though they may supplement their diet with insects and small animals

  • Gorillas live to approx. 35-40yrs in the wild and about 50 years in captivity

  • Male gorilla heights average between 5.6 -6.0 feet (1.7 - 1.8 meters)

  • Male gorillas weigh between 300 - 500 lbs (136 -227 kgs)

  • Female gorillas are significantly smaller. Height: usually no more than 5ft (1.5 meters) Weight 150-200 lbs (68-91kgs)

  • Gorillas are naturally found only in Africa

  • Western gorillas are found in the West-Central African region (Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Gabon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea and south-eastern Nigeria)

  • Eastern gorillas live in the East-Central African region (Uganda, Rwanda and Congo)

  • An adult male eats up to 40 pounds of food a day

  • Dian Fossey was the foremost person responsible for alerting the public at large to the plight of the mountain gorilla

  • Gorillas like other primates are now known to use tools--even wild gorillas have been observed using tools

  • December 22, 1956 was the date of the first registered gorilla birth in captivity at Columbus Zoo in Ohio

  • Until the late 1970s, thousands of gorillas were slaughtered in order to capture young gorillas destined for zoos

  • By the end of 1991, 53% of all gorillas in zoos were born in captivity

  • To date more than 760 gorillas reside in over 140 zoos

Ba Kiwanuka www.gorillahub.com

Gorilla Gifts

 

 

 
 
 
 
 

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