Western lowland gorilla: What is the West lowland gorilla?

 

The Western lowland gorilla is scientifically known as Gorilla gorilla gorilla and one of the two subspecies of the western gorillas (Gorilla gorilla). They are not only the smallest of the four subspecies of gorillas but also the most numerous and widespread of all gorilla subspecies. About 100,000 western lowland gorillas exist on earth today with around 4,000 in zoos.

In Africa where they live in the wild, inhabiting the montane, primary and secondary forest and lowland swampland of;

What is a Gorilla?
  • Angola
  • Cameroon
  • The Central African Republic
  • Republic of the Congo
  • The Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Equatorial Guinea, and
  • Gabon

How do western lowland gorillas look like?

Although western lowland gorillas are the smallest of the four subspecies of gorilla, they still have exceptional size and strength.

  • The average weight of an adult male western lowland gorilla is 140 kilograms.
  • The average weight of an adult female western lowland gorilla is 90 kilograms.
  • Adult male western lowland gorillas stand up to 5 feet tall
  • Adult female western lowland gorillas stand up to 4 feet tall
  • A fully grown male can weigh up to 181 kilograms and stand up to 6 feet tall.

The Western lowland gorilla can also be distinguished from other gorilla subspecies by their brown-grey coats, longer arms, auburn chests, and a more prominent ridge along their brow. Their skulls are wider, ears are smaller and their brow ridges are more pronounced.

Infant gorillas possess a tuft of white hair on their backsides, and older gorillas can get streaks of silver in their hair. Western lowland gorilla also has proportionately large hands with nails on all digits, similar to those of humans, and very large thumbs.

They have short muzzles and large nostrils. These gorillas often stand upright, but walk in a hunched, quadrupedal fashion, with hands curled and knuckles touching the ground.

This movement style needs long arms, which works for western gorillas since the arm span of gorillas is larger than their standing height.

  • Social behavior of western lowland gorilla

Western lowland gorillas live in the smallest family groups of all gorillas, with an average of 4 to 8 members in each family.

The head of every family is on dominant male known as a silverback, because of silvery back patches that signal full adulthood. Silverback organizes the family activities including travelling in their home range, feeding, and nesting in leaves.

  • What does western lowland gorilla eat?

As primarily herbivorous, the main diet of western lowland gorilla groups consists of;

  • Roots
  • Shoots
  • Fruit
  • Wild celery
  • Tree bark, and
  • Pulp

During the wet season gorillas commonly consume fruits. And in the dry season, there is a decrease in the consumption of fleshy fruits, though they still continue to eat other kinds of fruits.

Western lowland gorillas also eat insects from time to time.

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