Western Gorilla

The Gorilla has been shown in movies and films as an awe inspiring terrifying animal which preys on young maidens.

To that end it was very often a target of those who didn’t know its true nature.

Gorillas, far from being terrible and fearsome creatures are actually very gentle in nature and have strong ties to their family and a community of other gorillas.

Gorillas are large primates, who can weigh in about three hundred pounds and grow to be as tall as a human female in stature.

Western Gorilla

In the wild they live approximately 35-40 years.

Western gorillas live primarily with in tropical rain forests. A great deal of their habitat has been destroyed for roads and developments which have helped with the Gorillas decline in population.

Gorillas are mainly vegetarians. They will eat flowers, roots, fruit and seeds as well as insects.
Gorillas make up stable mixed sex communities which are usually fairly stable in their content.
They forage for food by moving across the ground with their knuckles touching the earth although they can walk without the aid of their arms.

Each group of Gorillas has a leader, which is called the silverback.

The group is usually made up of his mates and his offspring. He chooses the site where they will forage and eat, and when the group will move.

Gorillas give birth only to one young one, although occasionally twins are born. A female gorilla will be pregnant for about 250 days; roughly the same amount of time as a human female and will give birth to a little one which weighs between five and 6 pounds.

Western Gorillas are listed as Endangered Animals on the Red List. All gorillas are threatened due to poaching, hunting, habitat loss and many other reasons, most of them human induced.