Skip to main content

Mountain Gorilla

Gorilla beringei beringei
There are two distinct Gorilla species in the world, and each one has two subspecies of its own. The Mountain Gorilla is one of the Eastern Gorilla subspecies, and is found only in a handful of Central African Countries. As indicated by the name, these Primates live at higher elevations-- they inhabit mountainous cloud forests that have altitude of up to 14,000ft.

Mountain Gorillas are the second largest of the Gorillas (behind only the Eastern Lowland). They have longer hair to help with the colder climate, and shorter arms than many of their lowland cousins. Despite their huge size and sometimes ferocious look, these primates are primarily herbivores, and feed on over 100 different plant species.

Like all Gorillas, they live in very structured social groups. These troops, which can have as many as 40 individuals, are led by a dominant male called a "Silverback" (named for the grey hairs that grow on their backs with age). The Silverback decides where the group eats and rests, and protects them from intruders and predators.

Mountain Gorillas are sadly listed as Critically Endangered. Habitat loss, disease, local unrest in human populations, and poaching have reduced their numbers down to only about 800 individuals. Conservation efforts are being made to save this subspecies, and it appears that the decline has stopped and possibly reversed. However, there is still a great deal of work to be done to keep their habitats safe, and to educate the peoples living near the Gorillas.
IUCN Status : Critically Endangered
Location : Central Africa
Size : Males - Weight up to 430lb (195kg), Height up to 5ft (1.5m); Females - Weight up to 22lbs (100kg), Height up to 4.5ft (1.3m)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Primates
Family : Hominidae -- Genus : Gorilla -- Species : G. beringei -- Subspecies : G. b. beringei
Image : Tknoxb

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a...
59 comments
Read more

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!
18 comments
Read more

Banggai Cardinalfish

Pterapogon kauderni The Banggai Cardinalfish is a small tropical fish that is becoming very rare in the wild, even though it has been successfully bred in captivity. You will only find these small, 3in long fish around the Banggai Islands of Indonesia. They are the only members of their genus, and you can tell them apart from other Cardinalfish by their three-striped bodies, tasseled first dorsal fin, long second dorsal, and their deep-forked tail fins. Banggai Cardinalfish are diurnal and live in small groups of about a dozen members. They are opportunistic feeders who dine on whatever smaller plants and animals they can find. Courtship and mating is pretty interesting for these guys-- females are the ones who initiate. They isolate a male and the pair will perform various courtship rituals before spawning. The Cardinalfish are mouthbrooders, which means that the males take the fertilized eggs (up to 90 of them) into their mouths and incubate them for up to 30 days. During t...
37 comments
Read more