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Gorilla

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Gorilla gorilla
Gorilla

Range

Gorillas live in Central Africa. The mountain gorillas of Rwanda, Zaire and Uganda have become very rare. There are two groups of lowland gorillas: the eastern lowland gorillas of Zaire and the western lowland gorillas of Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Central African Republic, and Guinea.

Habitat

Gorillas live in rainforests.

Body Traits

An adult male gorilla can reach 6 feet in height and weigh up to 500 pounds. Females rarely get bigger than 300 pounds. Most gorillas have dark fur, but some male gorillas have silver-tipped hairs on their shoulders and back, so are called silverbacks.

Habits

They live in family groups of many females, young males and one large, mature male. Gorillas, in general, are not aggressive unless threatened.

Diet

Gorillas are vegetarians, eating the leaves, stems and roots of plants.

Predators

Predators are leopards, crocodiles and humans.

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District subscriptions provide huge group discounts for their schools. Email for a quote: sheri@exploringnature.org.

Reproduction

Females are pregnant for 9 months (gestation) and have 1 young.

Lifespan and/or Conservation Status

They live about 30 years in the wild. They are critically endangered.

Gorilla
Gorilla

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorrhini
Family: Hominidae
Genus: Gorilla
Species: Gorilla gorilla

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