All information about the gorilla

Species of gorillas

Two species of gorillas exist, each with two subspecies:

• The eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei)

  • Mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei)

  • Eastern lowland gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri)

• The western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla)

  • Cross river gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli)

  • Western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)

• Mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei)

The mountain gorilla is the second largest gorilla and is a subspecies of the eastern gorilla. When sitting upright, males are 1.85 meters and females are 1.50 meters. Males can weigh as much as 200 pounds! They live in the mountainous border region of Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo. Mountain gorillas live in groups. Only about 2,600 mountain gorillas still live in the wild and this number is still declining. This makes the mountain gorilla a critically endangered species.

Eastern lowland gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri)

The eastern lowland gorilla is a subspecies of the eastern gorilla. This gorilla is critically endangered. He is the largest subspecies of gorillas. Surely he can grow up to 1.90 meters tall. It lives in the lowlands of the tropical rainforest in eastern Congo.

Cross River Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli)

The Cross River gorilla is a subspecies of the western gorilla and is highly endangered. Only a small number of these gorillas can still be found in the wild. It occurs in the border region of Cameroon and Nigeria. Here runs the Cross River, from which it gets its name.

Western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)

The Western lowland gorilla is the largest subspecies of the western gorilla. On the other hand, it is smaller than the mountain gorilla. The western lowland gorilla is also critically endangered.

Behavior of the gorilla

Gorillas live in groups of five to 15 animals together. Those groups consist of one adult male and often several females with their young. This is called a harem group. The adult male, often called "silverback" because of the gray hairs on his body, decides, for example, where and when the group will rest and where they will eat. The male also keeps the group calm and protects the group from enemies.

As young gorillas mature, they often leave the group. Females join another group. Young males often wander alone until they can possibly take over a group of females. Often males also stay alone their entire lives.

A gorilla's life consists mainly of eating and sleeping. at night, gorillas make a nest on the ground. Here they sleep until it gets light again. In the morning and afternoon, the gorillas search for food. They can climb up to 15 meters high in the tree in search of food!

What does a gorilla eat?

Gorillas eat almost only plants. Because those plants also have small animals on them, such as aphids, snails and caterpillars, they still eat about two grams of insects each day. Sometimes they also break open a termite nest to eat the termites.

In nature, gorillas eat more than 100 different species of plants. They also eat many different parts of plants, such as leaves, stems, roots, fruits and seeds. Per day, a gorilla eats about 20 to 30 pounds. Because there is a lot of moisture in plants, gorillas do not need to drink much.

Reproduction of the gorilla

Gorilla females give birth to young only once every four years. Twins are almost never born. Normally, a female gives birth to two to six young in her lifetime. The silverback, the leader of the group, is the father of all young born in a group.

Gorillas do not have a birthing season. Cubs are born throughout the year. Usually cubs are born at night. This is safest because the group is at rest then.

A gorilla cub

A newborn gorilla weighs about two pounds. He can't really do anything at that point, except hold on tightly to his mother. For the first six months, a young gorilla stays close to its mother. The cub really likes the familiar environment, because he still has a lot to learn. For example, climbing and social behavior in the group. They do this by playing with other young gorillas. Young western lowland gorillas develop faster than humans. For example, they can walk after only four months! At three years old, a gorilla cub is independent. He then no longer drinks milk and sleeps in his own nest.

The habitat of the gorilla

The habitat of gorillas is mainly in the tropical rainforests in the central region of Africa. The habitat, as the gorilla's name suggests, is divided into two parts: eastern and western. Consequently, the two gorilla species live at least 750 kilometers apart.

Gorillas in the Safari Park

The Safari Park is home to two groups of western lowland gorillas. You will find both groups along the walking safari.

At the front of the park lives a group with one adult male and several females. This is called a harem group. These gorillas came to the Safari Park in 2016 from different zoos. Therefore, they are not related to each other. It is planned that in the future, young will be born in this group. This group lives together with a group of crested mangabeys.

In the middle of the Safari Park, several adult males live together. These males are (half) brothers of each other. They were all born in another zoo in the Netherlands and have the same father. Because there are relatives of these males in many zoos in Europe, they remain without females for the rest of their lives. This group lives in the Safari Park together with a male group of colobus monkeys.

Is the gorilla an endangered species?

The gorilla is critically endangered. The rainforests where the western lowland gorilla lives are being cleared for the timber trade and for building mines. This logging also makes it easier for poachers to enter the rainforest and hunt gorillas. The meat is sold as bushmeat ("meat from the forest") which is worth a lot of money in parts of Africa.

The role of zoos is to preserve and protect of endangered species. European parks work closely with each other to achieve this goal and do so with an management program (EEP). The gorilla is also part of this. This is how a healthy reserve population is maintained. Find out more about species conservation and our role here here.

Conservation

Not only gorillas, but many of the species you see in our park are endangered and struggling in their native habitats. Did you know that worldwide more than 4,000 animal species threatened with extinction are endangered? Together we can help them, with big, or small steps. Want to know how? Then click here.

Wildlife Foundation

Stichting Wildlife supports the Gorilla Foundation Netherlands, helping to protect gorillas in the wild. This is done by paying rangers to protect the habitats, but also through research, protection from diseases and by teaching people that gorillas are important to nature. Want to know more about the Wildlife Foundation? Then click here.