Western lowland gorilla Gorilla gorilla gorilla
The gorilla is the largest species of ape in the world.
Gorillas have always impressed and captured the imagination of humans, as reflected in dangerous characters such as King Kong. By contrast, however, gorillas are actually very calm and peaceful.
The western lowland gorilla in a nutshell
- eats
- fruit, stems, leaves, sometimes insects
- inhabits
- Central Africa
- excels at
- caring for offspring
Vegan
Western lowland gorillas are true herbivores, eating mainly leaves, tree bark, tubers and fruit, and the occasional insect. They sometimes climb trees to a height of 15 metres in search of good food, but they never eat all of the food in an area. This enables the vegetation to regrow quickly, which means gorillas can live in a fairly compact range.
Impressive
The western lowland gorilla is one of the largest apes in the world – almost as large as its close relative, the mountain gorilla. The lowland gorilla has a broad chest and neck, strong hands, feet and jaws, and a large head with a prominent brow ridge. Males can be identified by their crest. The entire body is covered with dark-coloured hair, except for the face, ears, palms of the hand and soles of the feet. In adult males, the hair on the lower back turns silver-grey, giving rise to the name ‘silverback’.
Just like humans
Similar to humans, gorillas do not have a fixed breeding season. Females menstruate every 28 days, and babies are born after a pregnancy of about eight and a half months. Infant gorillas drink their mother’s milk until the age of three or four years, after which the mother may become pregnant again. Young gorillas grow about twice as fast as human babies, and can already crawl and cling to the mother after just three months. By the age of four years, they become independent of their mothers. Gorillas are great apes. Unlike other apes, great apes are tailless, and have a flat chest.
Critically endangered
The western lowland gorilla is critically endangered, mainly due to habitat loss resulting from coltan mining. Coltan is an ore used in the production of mobile telephones. In addition, despite being under legal protection, gorillas are still widely hunted and their young are illegally traded.
The western lowland gorilla has been adopted by Vinura and Jumbo.