The Western Gorilla

The Western Gorilla

The largest living of the primate family, these gorillas are day active forest dwellers that feed on a variety of foods such as fruits, leaves, stems and seeds, as well as a few small creatures such as termites.

. The gorilla’s weight is between 68 to over 200kg (150 – 430lb), whilst its height is up to 1.3- 1.9m (4 ¼- 6 ¼). At night the gorillas bend tree twigs and branches to form a comfortable sleeping area They live in small stable groups of 3-20 individuals with strong bonds between the silver back (dominant male) and females with their offspring . This gorilla uses a wide number of facial expressions , body gestures and sounds to communicate including grunts, rumbles, whimpers of contentment and alarm barks. It lives in central areas of the western African continent. Encroaching civilization, human conflict in the animals habitat and hunting by man has contributed to its declining population.