Gorillas
What are gorillas?
Gorillas are ground dwelling apes, this means that they live mostly on the ground in the forest. The gorilla is divided into two species, the eastern and western gorilla. They are then divided into four subspecies:
Mountain Gorilla:
The mountain gorilla can be found around volcanoes and in high-altitude tropical forests in Rwanda, Uganda and Democratic Republic of the Congo. They have long thick fur which helps them to live in colder temperatures. They are critically endangered with less than 800 thought to be left in the wild. They mostly eat foliage, such as leaves, stems and shoots. Fruit makes up a small part of their diet. They have flexible diets and can live in a variety of different habitats.
Western Lowland Gorilla
These gorillas can be found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, Congo and Equatorial Guinea. They are said to have redder and greyer fur than the other eastern species. These gorillas are also categorised as endangered due to threat of habitat destruction and hunting from humans. They depend on fruit more than any other species of gorilla.
Eastern Lowland Gorilla
These gorillas can be found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These are the largest of the subspecies of gorillas, they are similar to mountain gorillas but have shorter fur and narrower faces and rounder nostrils. They are also categorised as endangered with fewer than 5,000 left in the wild. They have a diverse diet which changes with the seasons. Leaves are commonly eaten but fruit can make up as much as 25% of their diet. They will also eat insects such as ants if they need to.
Cross River Gorillas:
The Cross River gorilla is the world's rarest ape with fewer than 300 surviving in the wild. They can be found in a small area between Nigeria and Cameroon. Their skulls are shaped differently than the western lowland gorilla and are also redder and greyer than the eastern subspecies. These are the hardest species of gorilla to study.
No comments:
Post a Comment