What do Mountain Gorillas Eat

Apart from what most people have been told about these primates, it always comes out differently and unique that they are not that which people have likely been told. Gorillas are some of the most unique creatures in Africa and attract countless number of visitors who come into the countries in which they are located so as to have an experience around them.

his area has come to be known as the Virunga region. The main reason for this is that they live in an area that is dominated by the 8 Virunga volcanoes, to include Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

• Species of gorillas.

There are only two major species of gorillas in Africa and these include; the mountain gorillas and the eastern lowland gorillas/Grauer’s Gorilla.

Whereas they have much similarities, they also have apparent differences especially on their physical outlooks. Just like their names, they get their naming from the regions in which the predominantly live or stay. The mountain gorillas have for generations adopted living in highly mountainous areas of the Virunga region. However, the eastern lowland gorillas have equally for generations lived in the eastern lowland areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This slight difference is the major factor which led to their unique naming although they both belong to the same family. The two species therefore combine together to form the largest groups in the Virunga region.

• Unique traits of gorillas.

The gorillas share about 98% of DNA similar with the humans’. This is the closest to that of the chimpanzee who are the mostly closest with that of the humans. Because of this trade, these primates share much similarity in terms of the body conditions such as cold and hot temperatures and their reactions on their bodies. The only difference is that they are yet to develop various immunities just as the human species.

On the African continent, they are the largest primates in the wilderness and compared to other primates, they have large weights of up to about 180 kilograms.

When it comes to feeding, the gorillas are able to feed the entire day. This is one of the major reasons as to why they have such weight and mass.

The gorillas have adopted to similar family units has those of the humans and in this they have organization and leadership under the stewardship of the silverback gorillas.

They sleep together in the night in groups and can be able to be seen in their nests cozy. This trait not only creates a sense of belonging but also security for especially the young gorillas.

Different from many other species, the gorillas have a variety of about 16 unique calls with the short barks being the most common. The other is the beating of their chests, which is a common technique for scaring off and intimidating their enemies.

They have a considerable lengthy longevity compared to many other species since they can live up to about 40 years. The only time variation comes in is when comparing the gorillas that live in the wilderness, compared to those that live in cages such as in the zoos.

They are now declared to be under threat and therefore endangered species because of the various activities of man that have for generations led to their deaths through poaching, encroachment, diseases, and climate change.

• What gorillas eat, and their feeding habits.

They are mainly herbivorous and consume most of their food as plants. Most of these are succulent plants with a lot of water which enables them to digest their food with much ease. The mountain gorillas feed on more than 140 plant species and all these are located in the jungles in which they live. They feed on plant leaves, bamboo shoots, flowers, fruits and roots.

They also spice up their diet by feeding on small insects such as ants and snails. However, it should be understood that the feeding habits keep changing depending on the season of the year. The primary reason for this is because tropical Africa always has differences in weather conditions mainly alternating between the dry and wet season. Therefore, it will be common to find these mountain gorillas feeding on fruits and flowers because it is usually in the rainy season that the plants blossom.

A fully grown mountain gorilla can feed on over 18 kg of food per day. The mountain gorillas are able to feed through various ways of food collection and therefore the reduction of food at a specific location informs their movements and migration to new areas that have accommodative feeding grounds.

The mountain gorillas are naturally afraid of water and this explains why it is rare to find a mountain gorilla looking for water to drink in order to facilitate its digestion process. These species therefore adopted to feeding one highly succulent plants that have a lot of water in them.

Sometimes because of their great strength, they can be seen breaking plants in order to pick out the soft and edible parts. They also sometimes pull out big plants outside the ground in order to feed on the roots. Book your gorilla tracking safari today.