The Facts
Around one third of the world’s mountain gorillas live in the resource-rich Virunga mountains, the exploitation of which threatens the species’ very existence. Far less abundant and more beautiful than oil or gold, this majestic great ape is the Congo’s real treasure.
The gorillas’ biodiverse rainforest environment is stratified into specific vegetative zones based on altitude. Most of their time is spent near the base of the mountains, where vegetation grows more densely. The air throughout the mountain’s zones is moist and misty, leading them to be known as cloud forests.
Over one third of the estimated 1,000 remaining mountain gorillas live in the protected forests of Virunga National Park. Compared to their eastern lowland cousins, mountain gorillas have thick hair, an adaptation which protects them against the sub-zero temperatures often encountered at altitudes of 7 – 14,000 ft.
Challenges to dominant silverbacks are met with impressive displays of strength and aggression, including charges, chest-beating, and vocal intimidation. Despite this, gorillas generally reside in a state of calm and subsist on a mainly herbivorous diet of roots, shoots, fruit, bark and pulp, with about 0.1% coming from invertebrates.
Like most primates, mountain gorillas are social animals. They live in groups of fascinating complexity called troops or bands, led by a dominant alpha male known as a silverback. The silverback protects its members and directs troop activities such as nesting, feeding and migration between seasonal feeding areas.
The streak of silver hair after which mature males are named develops following adolescence. Gorillas walk on their knuckles, have dark brown irises encircled by black rings, and possess unique nose prints. Mountain gorilla adults, as well as having thicker and longer fur, tend to be smaller than other subspecies.
After nearly nine months of gestation, infants enter the world weighing only four pounds. From four months they begin clinging to their mothers’ backs, remaining there for two or three years. Despite beginning life so small, adult males typically weigh 430 pounds and can stand five feet tall.
A mountain gorilla’s mainly plant-based diet is made up of 142 varieties of leaves, stems, shoots and fruits.
Mountain gorillas normally live in groups known as troops, which are led by a dominant silverback. The largest group ever encountered was 65 members strong.
Gorillas are incredibly communicative creatures. They use facial expressions, calls, postures and gestures to convey their intentions and feelings.
Despite their reputation as aggressive and dangerous, mountain gorillas are known to be emotionally intelligent. They have been observed grieving family members, touching noses to greet one another and singing when a particularly lush nesting site has been discovered.
Gorillas regularly migrate between troops, a behaviour which prevents interbreeding and allows subordinate silverbacks the opportunity to lead a troop and thereby mate with females.
Gorillas can live up to 40 years old in the wild. In captivity, they have been known to live up to 50 years.
Gorillas are able to be identified by observing an unlikely part of the head, with each individual having a unique noseprint. The species is distinguishable from most other kinds of primate by having evolved without a tail.
Gorillas are one of our closest relatives, with humans sharing 98.3% of our DNA with the primate.
In 1997 there were as few as 320 wild mountain gorillas. Conservation efforts have increased numbers to around 1,000 individuals, lifting the animal out of the IUCN critically endangered category into endangered.
