When do gorillas drink water? Unlike most wildlife, mountain gorillas do not drink water because most of their time, they spend feeding on succulent vegetation. This means, they get all the moisture they need from what they eat and morning dew. Gorillas spend most of their day eating and most of their fluid intake is got from vegetation they feed on.
What do gorillas eat?
Mountain gorillas eat up to 142 different species of plants and 86% of these is composed of shoots, leaves, stems all within their habitat range, 3% flowers, 2% fruits, 7% roots. The western lowland gorillas feed on 97% of plant species, 17% leaves, 67% fruits and 3% comprises of insects, termites and ants. The eastern lowland gorillas feed on 104 plant species and plants make the highest percentage of their diet while the cross-river gorillas depend on fruits, stems, leaves etc.
Mountain gorillas are capable of chewing vegetation including bamboo due to their long and strong canines. They start their long day of foraging at 6:00am till midday when they rest prior resuming with the afternoon session of foraging. At 6:00pm, they construct new nests where they can sleep till the next day when the cycle of foraging starts again.
Gorilla habitats.
Gorillas live on a higher altitude with cold temperatures but interestingly, they are adapted to the conditions due to their long, thick fur on their bodies. These creatures are largely herbivores consuming over 30kgs of vegetation in just a day by males and females feed up to 18kgs.
There are 2 species (western and eastern gorilla) and 4 subspecies of gorillas – mountain gorillas, eastern lowland gorillas, western lowlands and cross river gorillas. Mountain gorillas are distinct and notably the biggest apes thriving in 4 National Parks – Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Southwestern Uganda, Virunga National Park in D.R. Congo & Volcanoes National Park – the only gorilla park in Rwanda.
Mountain gorillas are endangered apes and not more than 1063 of them still live in the wild today. To see these amazingly massive creatures in the wild a lifetime experience and this is only possible while on gorilla trekking in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo.
Lifestyle of gorillas.
Gorillas live in families comprising of 7-35 members, each family is led by one mature adult male also known as silverback. In each group, there are many females and infants under the leadership of a silverback. The silverback plays an important role in protecting the whole family from attacks and also leads them to areas with plenty of forage to feed on in the course of the day.
Gorillas are known to have slow reproductive rates, giving bird to a single baby once after a period of about 4 years. Like humans, female gorillas have a gestation of up to 8.5 months and unfortunately, 30% of their infants don’t survive their first year due to accidents, diseases and other factors.
Gorillas and people.
Like chimpanzees, gorillas have a lot in common with human beings-sharing over 98% of their DNA with humans. Besides bonobos, chimps; gorillas are among the closest human relatives in the wild and they are very susceptible to human infectious diseases. Like humans, gorillas have strong social qualities ad relationships within their group families. They also express feeling, love and hate with over 30 different vocalizations each with its own meaning.
Gorillas show how aggressive they are in different ways. They can beat their chests and where danger is, they can stand for each other. Usually, serious fights occur between 2 leaders from different families and such fights can lead to fatal injuries or even death.
