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Africa Safari Articles > Uganda and Rwanda Safari Articles

GORILLA FACTS BY BA KIWANUKA

Gorilla Facts

* Gorillas possess 98% of the same nuclear DNA as humans

* There's a greater degree of difference between gorilla & chimp DNA in contrast to gorilla & human DNA

* Gorillas are the biggest primate (note humans are primates)

* Gorillas, chimpanzees and humans are classified under the same family--Hominidae

* Gorillas and chimps used to be classified under the family Pongidae--Now only the orangutan remains in the Pongidae family

* There're two species of gorilla: Western Gorilla and Eastern Gorilla

* The largest subspecies of gorilla is the Grauer's gorilla (eastern lowland gorilla)

* A group of gorillas is called a troop

* A silverback gorilla is so-called because of the greyish/silver patch he gains on his back when he attains maturity

* Eastern gorillas tend to have blacker hair than their Western counterparts who tend to be browner

* Gorillas have hair not fur

* Mountain gorillas have longer hair, larger jaws and teeth, smaller noses and shorter arms than other gorillas

* Gorilla arms are longer than their legs and in the western gorilla, the male's arm span extends 7-9 feet; A greater length than the gorilla is tall

* Not a single one of the gorillas in zoos around the world is a mountain gorilla--they are all lowland (western) gorillas

* The gorillas you see in movies are usually western gorillas, that's why they look so different from the one's seen on safari

* Mountain gorillas tend to die in captivity

* Most gorillas seen on safari are habituated mountain gorillas (bwindi subspecies too)

* Gorillas are mainly folivorous though they may supplement their diet with insects and small animals

* Gorillas live to approx. 35-40yrs in the wild and about 50 years in captivity

* Male gorilla heights average between 5.6 -6.0 feet (1.7 - 1.8 meters)

* Male gorillas weigh between 300 - 500 lbs (136 -227 kgs)

* Female gorillas are significantly smaller. Height: usually no more than 5ft (1.5 meters) Weight 150-200 lbs (68-91kgs)

* Gorillas are naturally found only in Africa

* Western gorillas are found in the West-Central African region (Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Gabon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea and south-eastern Nigeria).

* Eastern gorillas live in the East-Central African region (Uganda, Rwanda and Congo)

* An adult male eats up to 40 pounds of food a day

* Dian Fossey was the foremost person responsible for alerting the public at large to the plight of the mountain gorilla

* Gorillas like other primates are now known to use tools--even wild gorillas have been observed using tools

* December 22, 1956 was the date of the first registered gorilla birth in captivity at Columbus Zoo in Ohio

* Until the late 1970s, thousands of gorillas were slaughtered in order to capture young gorillas destined for zoos

* By the end of 1991, 53% of all gorillas in zoos were born in captivity

* To date more than 760 gorillas reside in over 140 zoos

About the Author

Ba Kiwanuka http://www.gorillahub.com

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