GORILLA

Gorillas live in the wild only in the Zaire River basin. The twp species - mountain and lowland - are separated by about 600 miles. Both are now recognized as being endangered.

SOCIAL HABITS

Each family group lives within a fairly small area. However, groups that occupy the same area coexist peacefully.

One way in which gorillas establish and reinforce bonds is by social grooming. One gorilla will groom the other by combing through its fur with its fingers and teeth. In addition to the cleanliness it promotes, social grooming allows close contact and touch between the animals.

Each evening, gorillas build nests in trees in which to spend night. Up to the age of three, the young share their mothers' nest. However, the nest-building instinct is so strong that they experiment with making their own nests at an early age.

Nest building is not a painstaking process. The gorilla simply pulls in any braches that it can reach and then squats on them to make a platform.

BREEDING

Gorillas mate year-round. The female produces one offspring about every fourth year. If her offspring gorilla dies in infancy, which happens 40-50 percent of the time, she will breed more frequently. A young gorilla remains with its parents three years after its birth.

Gorillas live in groups of ten to thirty females and their young, with one or more mature males, called silver-backs. Young adult males generally live alone, sometimes joining groups for short periods. Afterward, they resume their solitary existence. Occasionally they take females with them to mate and start their own groups. 

DIET

The gorilla is herbivorous, or plant-eating (as opposed to carnivorous, or meat-eating). It eats the fruit, leaves, and stems of a wide variety of plants that form the undergrowth of the forest floor. Bamboo shoots are a favorite. The food it eats, together with the dew it drinks off of leaves, provides all the moisture a gorilla needs.

GORILLA & MAN

The gorilla's easy-going nature has made it possible for humans to mingle with wild family groups, and thus considerable study has been conducted on the gorilla. Unfortunately, gorillas have also been widely hunted for food and sport.

The greatest risk to the gorilla, though, comes from man's invasion of its habitats.

KEY FACTS 

        Size 

              Height: Male, 6 feet. Female 5 feet.

              Weight: Males, up to 600 lb. Females, up to 200 lb.

       Breeding

             Sexual maturity: Males, 7-8 years. Females, 6-7 years. 

             Mating: No particular season. 

             Gestation: 251-289 days. 

             Number of young: One.

       Lifestyle

            Habit: Sociable. 

            Diet: Entirely vegetarian, mainly fruit, leaves, and juicy stems.

            Lifespan: At least 30 years.

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