Gorillas are the largest living primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. The genus Gorilla is divided into two species: the eastern gorillas and the western gorillas (both critically endangered), and either four or five subspecies. They are the only extant members of the tribe Gorillini and family Hominidae (the great apes).
Gorillas’ natural habitats cover tropical or subtropical forests in Africa. Although their range covers a small percentage of Africa, gorillas occupy a wide variety of habitats, from montane forest to swamp forest. Lowland gorilla groups mostly stay within primary forests at altitudes below 3,000 m (9,800 ft), while mountain gorilla groups live in higher altitude ranges between 2,200–4,300 m (7,200–14,100 ft). Mountain gorillas have also been observed feeding on bamboo shoots in Uganda.
Gorillas move around by walking upright on all fours; when they do so they appear to be knuckle-walking like chimpanzees and bonobos—however recent evidence suggests that this form of locomotion may be an adaption to their arboreal lifestyle rather than a remnant from a knuckle-walking ancestor as was previously thought. Adult male gorillas are called “silverbacks” because a saddle of silver hair develops on their backs with age. Immature males or females are called “blackbacks”. A group of gorillas is called a “troop”. Offspring: A baby gorilla is called an “infant”. A female gorilla gives birth every 4 years on average and nurses her infant for up to 3 years; however weaning can occur much sooner if another adult female becomes pregnant thereby decreasing milk availability for the first infant.[citation needed] Gestation period: 8.5 months Average lifespan: 35 – 40 years, though longevity records exist for captive individuals reaching over 50 years old. Males tend to live shorter lives than females due to fighting among themselves during mating season as well as infanticide by new males taking over troops, though both factors have been found not to affect mortality rates in one study site where multiple adult males were present year round.
One species of gorilla is known to use tools while another has been observed engaging in rudimentary sign language—these observations suggest that some cognitive abilities required for human tool making and language use must have evolved earlier than previously thought likely given the close evolutionary relationship between humans and other great apes such as chimpanzees and bonobos.
Contents [hide] 1 Taxonomy 2 Description 2.1 Sexual dimorphism 2.2 Distribution and habitat 3 Behavior 3.1 Diet 3.2 Locomotion 3