Usually, fruits grow on trees; gorillas of all ages climb these trees to harvest them. Although western gorillas eat a higher percentage of fruit than of leaves, stems, pith and shoots, they still eat markedly less fruit than do chimpanzees and orangutans. The food range of the western gorillas is very broad: they eat about plant species. They particularly like plants belonging to the ginger and arrowroot families. In contrast, the mountain gorillas in the Virunga Volcanoes eat only 38 different plant species, mainly Galium, thistles, celery and nettles.
An adult Grauer's gorilla male is estimated to eat 30 kg of plants every day, an adult female about 18 kg. To be able to process these masses of plant material, gorillas have very strong chewing muscles. Deserted nests are extremely valuable for gorilla researchers and doctors. By counting nests they estimate gorilla numbers, while hair samples and faeces can be analysed to establish their health.
You must be logged in to post a comment. About WordPress. Ian 25 May What Do Mountain Gorillas Eat? Categories: Gorillas. Ian Ian Cantwell is a historian, the writer of the Kigezi Mosaic and a member of the team that started the Gorilla Highlands idea in When not researching somewhere in Africa, he is based in Ireland. Responses Cancel reply You must be logged in to post a comment. Katharina 31 May Clear Clear All. By the age of 40, she had a library of about 1, signs and could understand some 2, words of English.
Take the quiz. Gorillas are mainly herbivores, and their diet mostly consists of bamboo, fruit and leafy plants, though western lowland gorillas also eat small insects. Adult gorillas can eat up to 30kg of food each day. As roaming herbivores, gorillas play a vital role in seed dispersal. Many large fruit trees depend upon these animals to survive. Research published in early showed that gorillas hum when contentedly when eating their favourite food.
The oldest gorilla ever recorded was a female western gorilla at the Columbus Zoo that reached the ripe old age of 60 before dying in Gorillas build nests in which to sleep, both on the ground and in trees, made of leaves and branches.
Counting abandoned nests is an effective way for scientists to estimate population size. More helpfully, gorillas also have unique noseprints, which can be used to identify individuals from photographs by looking at the nostrils and the bridge of the nose. Gorillas plus chimps and bonobos are specialised knuckle-walkers. As knuckle-walkers, gorillas have various adaptations for stability and weight-bearing.
Females usually produce just one baby every four to six years. In total, a female will only give birth three or four times. Such a low reproduction rate makes it difficult for populations to bounce back following a decline.
Scientists observed that mothers used more tactile and more repetitive gestures with their young than with other adults.
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