Characteristics of Mountain Gorillas
The central African countries of Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo are home to the endangered mountain gorilla.
They can be found in the Virungas, which border Rwanda and Congo. In Uganda, they live in the southwest region of Mgahinga National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Following chimpanzees and baboons, mountain gorillas share a comparatively high 98% of their DNA with humans.
The following are some traits of mountain gorillas:They live in the densely forested tropical rain forest.
With a body length of 1.7 meters and a weight of 165 kg, mountain gorillas are the largest natural primates. Female adults weigh roughly 71.5 kg and stand 1.5 meters tall. The adult silverback male weighs 220 kg, while the female weighs roughly 97.7 kg.
Features of Gorillas in the Mountains
The 32 teeth that mountain gorillas have are identical to those of humans. The flora they eat can be broken down by their powerful, massive teeth. As they grow into adults, they get large, pointed teeth. Their teeth resemble those of humans in that they grow milk teeth throughout their lives, which are subsequently replaced by their permanent teeth.
Mountain Gorillas can be identified by their nose shape and wrinkles, which are technically known as nose prints. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell if a mountain gorilla has a tail, but they don’t have them as monkeys do.
Despite frequently walking on all four limbs, mountain gorillas use their arm power for gathering and bending, which is why their arms have greater muscles than their legs.
Their arms are longer than their legs; their arm spread is around 30 cm greater than a human’s. They can squeeze and pull large objects because their upper body is six times more powerful than a human’s.
Families of mountain gorillas often consist of ten to fifteen members. The silverback who is in charge of the family is its leader. Its silver-grey hair, which covers its bark when it glows, sets it apart from other gorillas with dark skin and black to brown-grey hair.
A characteristic of mountain gorillas is that their stomachs are bigger than their chests. Their intestines, which house the enormous vegetables they eat, contribute to the size of their stomachs.
In the wild, mountain gorillas can live for 30 to 40 years. During that time, a female gives birth to one or two babies every two years following a gestation period of eight months.
Throughout the day, mountain gorillas consume leaves, fruits, and other plants; at night, they show off their nests to rest.
As previously said, gorillas are near cousins of humans and behave like humans in their daily lives, feeding, guarding, and caring for silverbacks and their offspring. It is indeed an amazing experience.
You should see the mountain gorillas after learning about their characteristics if you want to enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime encounter.