![]() ![]() Leaves and pith are commonly eaten, but fruits can make up as much as 25% of their diets. Their home ranges average 3–15 km 2 (1.16–5.79 mi 2), and their movements range around 500 m (0.31 mi) or less on an average day. Despite eating a few species in each habitat, mountain gorillas have flexible diets and can live in a variety of habitats.Įastern lowland gorillas have more diverse diets, which vary seasonally. Mountain gorillas mostly eat foliage, such as leaves, stems, pith, and shoots, while fruit makes up a very small part of their diets. Mountain gorilla food is widely distributed and neither individuals nor groups have to compete with one another. The young nest with their mothers, but construct nests after three years of age, initially close to those of their mothers. Gorilla nests are distributed arbitrarily and use of tree species for site and construction appears to be opportunistic. Nest-building by great apes is now considered to be not just animal architecture, but as an important instance of tool use.Ī gorilla's day is synchronized, divided between rest periods and travel or feeding periods. Gorillas, unlike chimpanzees or orangutans, tend to sleep in nests on the ground. Nests tend to be simple aggregations of branches and leaves about 2 to 5 ft (0.61 to 1.52 m) in diameter and are constructed by individuals. Gorillas construct nests for daytime and night use. Western lowland gorillas live in swamp and lowland forests ranging up to 1,600 m (5,200 ft), and Cross River gorillas live in low-lying and submontane forests ranging from 150–1,600 m (490–5,250 ft). Western gorillas live in both lowland swamp forests and montane forests, and elevations ranging from sea level to 1,600 m (5,200 ft). ![]() ![]() In addition, eastern lowland gorillas live in montane bamboo forests, as well as lowland forests ranging from 600–3,308 m (1,969–10,853 ft) in elevation. Eastern gorillas inhabit montane and submontane forests between 650 and 4,000 m (2,130 and 13,120 ft) above sea level. Mountain gorillas live in the montane forests at the higher ends of the elevation range, while eastern lowland gorillas live in submontane forests at the lower ends of the elevation range. Gorilla habitat ranges from montane forests to swamps. Between the species and even within the species, gorillas live in a variety of habitats and elevations. The western gorilla lives in west central Africa, while the eastern gorilla lives in east central Africa. The range of the two species is separated by the Congo River and its tributaries. Lowland gorillas live in dense forests and lowland swamps and marshes as low as sea level, with western lowland gorillas living in Central West African countries and eastern lowland gorillas living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo near its border with Rwanda. The mountain gorilla inhabits the Albertine Rift montane cloud forests of the Virunga Volcanoes, ranging in altitude from 2,200–4,300 metres (7,200–14,100 ft). Although their range covers a small percentage of Africa, gorillas cover a wide range of elevations. Gorillas' natural habitats cover tropical or subtropical forests in Africa. The DNA of gorillas is highly similar to that of humans, from 95–99% depending on what is counted, and they are the next closest living relatives to humans after the chimpanzee and bonobo. They are the largest living primates by physical size. The eponymous genus Gorilla is divided into two species: the eastern gorillas and the western gorillas, and either four or five subspecies. Gorillas are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. A male silverback gorilla at the San Fransico Zoo. ![]()
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