Mountain Gorilla Research Paper

Within these small groups, the Cross River Gorilla has very predominant traits to keep them alive when almost extinct and facing a harsh environment (What’s Our Mission). These gorillas have a considerably large body size and they also have quite large hands but short forearms; along with small forward facing eyes that are put close together on top of a large nasal region (Etiendem, D., & Tagg, N,). Due to being so big they need a lot of nutrients, and in order to obtain enough food, they eat a large array of diets such as plants in many varieties, and fruits (Etiendem, D., & Tagg, N.). Since they live in the higher parts of the mountains near the border of Nigeria, the amount of fruit trees that exist are much lower than other regions, so they have come to rely on vegetation (Etiendem, D., & Tagg, N.). Since almost all fruit is seasonal, the primates must learn when they can eat one type, and when vegetation is important. (Etiendem, D., & Tagg, N.), (Imong, I., & Robbins, M.). The food they eat also determines how sexually successful they will be in the coming years.

The Gorilla beringei beringei or mountain gorilla, was first discovered on October 17th 1902, by a German officer named Captain Robert von Beringe (Berggorilla and Direkthilfe, 2002). Mountain gorillas play a large role in it’s particular ecosystem through consumption the gorillas control and maintain vegetation that is vital for a healthy environment not only for the primate but also other species that live in the environment as well. Since the discovery of the mountain gorilla much fascination has been drawn toward the species. However, the gentle creature’s population has had a sharp decline from Rwanda’s belief in sumu, poaching, human disease, and unregulated tourism. In efforts to revive the species population from extinction, persistent activism through worldly foundations are helping protect the mountain gorilla species.

Gentle, peaceful & shy are the words that describe gorillas. Gorillas in the mountains & eastern lowland areas are totally vegetarian & eat leaves, fruits, & stems like bamboo. On the other hand, gorillas in the Western lowlands eat small invertebrates & insects apart from plants. It’s anticipated that approximately 80% of gorilla population’s extinct, because of the destruction of their habitat, humans hunting them down & diseases as a result of Ebola

Gorillas are ground dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests in central Africa. They are the largest living primates by physical size. They are highly similar and are the next closest living relatives of humans after the chimpanzees and bonobos. The genus Gorilla is divided into two species: the western and eastern gorillas.

Gorillas are the largest group of primates and although they are known as being bipedal, similar to humans and other primates, they often use knuckle walking to move around. On observation, they have seems to have a more robust front appearance than their hind legs and behind. Their cranium is taller than other primates and lower mandible more protruding than their snout. They also have human-like ears that are parallel to their eyes and are small in size. They have

I observed a type of Ape known as the Western Lowland Gorilla. The scientific name for a Gorilla is the Gorilla gorilla. Gorillas are the largest of all living primates and at native to west central Africa. Gorillas exhibit sexual dimorphism within their species because males are very obviously much larger than females. The size of the gorillas came across very intimating and gave me an off impression of what this specie was actually going to be like. While observing the gorillas I noticed that these creatures are very slow, lethargic primates. Gorillas move quadrupedally by putting weight down on their arms and knuckles as they walk. They have hands and opposable thumbs, like humans, and are able to grasp things with a better grip. When Gorillas need to reach above themselves such as for leaves or branches they are able to stand on both legs while reaching. While resting Gorillas sit on their bottoms, legs to the side in a similar position that humans do. When resting I noticed that sometimes Gorillas like to take advantage of the moment by self grooming, using their hands. Gorillas usually have an herbivore diet but eat occasional insects. Due to their large body structure it is harder for them move around quickly so they do not need to eat foods that contain as much nutrients and proteins as smaller,

What to expect when challenging the silverback: Standing Upright Throwing things Agressively charging Roaring or barking powerful hoots while banging on chest Mountain Gorillas are normally calm and non agressive unless distubed. Physical Appearance Have longer hair Have shorter arms Tend to be a bit larger than normal gorillas Average height is 1.25-1.75 meters Max height is 2 meters Average weight is 135- 220 kiligrams Max weight is 272.155 kilograms Social Behaviors Ususally found in groups of 30 individuals Groups are called troops Led by a domiant, called a silverback Found in Congo SilverBack (THE LEADER) Called Silverback because of a swath of silver fur on thier back Organizes things like Eating Nesting Moving about the 2- 40 square

Many people think chimpanzees are a monkey and they don't know what the difference between monkey and apes are. Actually, bonobo and chimpanzees are apes and have similarity genetic code with a human. However, gorillas also share same genetic to human and they mostly have similar behaviors like a human, like eat food, move, or shape like hands. The author Kristina Cawthon Lang “National Primate Research Center in Wisconsin” talked about what is the difference of the behaviors between a gorilla, chimpanzee, and bonobo. The author Lewis, R B, Robert Jurmain and Lynn Kilgore talked in the book “Understanding Humans: Introduction to Physical Anthropology and Archaeology” about many kinds of apes and monkeys, and also what is different between of them.

The gorilla lives in West Africa. Most of them live in Rwanda, Africa. They also live in very hot climates. They live in jungles also. They explore land around them. When it’s time for bed, they break off branches from trees and cover them with leaves to sleep on.

They can be found in Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. True to their name, mountain gorillas live up in the Virungas mountains specifically in the volcanic slopes where it is green. They live in forest that are very high in altitude. Mountain gorillas eat many plants such as bamboo, wild celery, leaves, shoots, and fruits. They also eat ants, snails, and grubs.

Have you ever wondered about gorillas? A gorilla is a very strong built great ape with a large head and short neck. Gorillas are the largest member of the primate family. Gorillas are quiet, shy, peaceful, and live in central Africa and tropical rainforests. Several thousand years ago, gorillas split from its closest relative the chimpanzees. There are four types of gorillas, being Eastern lowland, Western lowland, mountain, and cross river gorillas. Ecology is how organism interact with one another and the environment. It is the study of relationships between two living organisms.

In 1994, the Rwandan Genocide forced over a hundred thousand refuges to the Democratic republic of Congo (DRC) which would soon be in a 7-year long civil war. In 2011, some institutions decided to study how that had affected the Grayer’s gorilla. A combination of illegal hunting, civil unrest, and habitat loss led to an 80% decrease in population. In 1995, there were about 17,000 and now there are only 3,800. The Grayer’s gorilla, along with the other 3 types of gorilla, is on the critically endangered list. They are the largest gorilla, growing to be over 400 pounds, and they only live in the remote forests of eastern DRC. One main reason they are going extinct is because the mining groups located near their habitats and controlled by armed

I can live in “both swamp and terra firma lowland forests throughout the Western Equatorial Africa.” (IUCN, 2016). We usually live in groups, mostly from 5 to 15 members, with a dominant male who serves as our alpha and protector. The dominant male gorilla will be chosen if he is the strongest and oldest silverback within the group (Seaworld Parks and Entertainment, 2016), and because of the privileges of being an alpha, which is having the opportunity to mate with the females in the group, to become the dominant one who usually makes the decision when to eat or move out to another place, he sometimes have to compete or to show off with the other silverbacks or male gorillas in order to maintain his position and

Gorillas spend much of their day resting and eating. The diet they subsist on varries greatly from subspecies to subspecies, relying heavily on what is available in their given territory. The mountain gorilla 's chosen diet consists of

Beginning with the most intelligent of the bunch, the (western lowland) gorillas I observed were quite inactive. This is certainly so because they are known to only be hunted by man leaving no competition outside of their own species. This fact makes it apparent why these kings of the jungle sit around so often. In the wild and even in zoos it may be difficult for a male to find mates because groups of gorillas are POLYGYNOUS. So usually one male is the father of all of the offspring. Being this way, male gorillas must display DOMINANCE over others and even stand their ground against an incoming male that may threaten the family. Going back to how they sit all day, gorillas are able to do this because they don’t even have to move to replenish energy for the reason that they are grass and leaf eaters (vegetarians). Not having to move very much makes gorillas capable of having a low-quality diet.