Mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) are one of the subspecies of Eastern gorillas, and as the name suggests, these primates mostly occupy mountainous – forested areas. The mountain gorillas in the world can only be found on the slopes of Virunga volcanoes that run across the borders of Rwanda, Uganda and D.R. Congo, as well as Bwindi impenetrable national park in southern Uganda. They are considered to be endangered species, because they are rare due to less population which is only about 1063 individuals. They are human’s closest cousins, sharing almost 98% DNA.
Mountain gorillas belong to the order of apes and are known to be the largest of all apes hence referred to as gentle giants. They live at an altitude of 8000 feet to 13000 feet in the highlands, which are very cold but the long and thick fur on their bodies makes them withstand this coldness. Mountain gorillas are almost of the same height and their average height is 4 to 6 feet, and weight of 135kg to 220kg.
A visitor can identify these apes by their muscular, broad arms and feet, massive chest, with black hair but the old alpha male possess grey-silvery hair hence the name silverback – the head of a gorilla group. A silverback has different roles in the family and like any other group leader; the silverback is in charge of providing security to the group, mating all females in the group among others.
Mountain gorillas are social primates and this means that they live in groups of about 3 to 30 or more, called families. These families are named according to their leaders or a place where they were first spotted during habituation. The number of gorillas in each group keeps changing due to death and migration to other groups. Like humans, they also have rivals among others which may lead to the separation and creation of new groups.
Mountain gorillas are primarily herbivorous and they prefer feeding on plants – leaves, backs, fruits and shoots. But sometimes they change their diet by eating small insects like termites and ants. They search for food and feed in groups and the silverback is in charge of directing other members where to eat from. The juveniles / young gorillas can swing around branches to get fruits for other family members as instructed by the silverback.
The silverback is in charge of mating all the females and the gestation period is always eight and a half months and after producing, weaning takes place after three years and after 8 to 9 years, they are considered to be old and can take care of themselves. The female gorillas give birth to one offspring per birth but like humans, mountain gorillas may also give birth to twins.
Nests are normally made by either females or males depending on daily work schedule but mountain gorillas make nests to sleep in at night but they have also been seen building nests just to take a nap during the day after feeding. Nest building is done by elders and young ones may not take part. The materials used are tree branches, leaves, bushes, and other soft materials in the forest.
Mountain gorillas can only be found in Bwindi national park and other national parks located within Virunga massif; these are Mgahinga national park of Uganda, Volcanoes national park of Rwanda and Virunga national park of DR Congo. They cannot be kept in captivity like their counterparts the eastern lowland gorillas which are known to survive outside their natural habitat. Gorilla trekking is done daily in these countries, but gorilla habituation can only be done in Uganda’s Bwindi impenetrable forest national park.
For a tourist interested in spotting or visiting mountain gorillas in any of the parks listed above, we request you to contact us and we will organize for you the best gorilla safari that will create memories in your lifetime.
