Gorilla

Endangered

Gorilla gorilla

Size: Males: 5.5 - 6 feet tall and 300 - 500 pounds, Females: 5 feet tall and 150 - 200 pounds

Lifespan: 35 years in the wild, 50 years in zoos

Range/Habitat: African equatorial rainforest and lowland rainforest

Gorillas are organized socially in a troop with five to thirty individuals with a dominant male, known as a silverback, leading the troop. The silverback is responsible for the troop’s safety; he decides when to travel, where to go for food, and where to stop and rest, although they never stay anywhere for more than a day at a time. Gorillas eat almost nothing but plant matter including: leaves, stems, fruit, seeds and roots. They can eat up to forty pounds of food a day. They also use plant matter to build their sleeping nests, but they never use the same nest twice.

Conservation Concerns:

Gorillas have no natural predators, but are threatened by habitat loss from logging and hunting for the bushmeat trade. There are attempts to set up protected areas in their native habitat, but most attempts are difficult due to unstable governments in central Africa. You can help ensure that gorilla habitat is not over logged by buying wood that is certified. Certified wood comes from a certified logging company that understands and uses sustainable logging practices.