We all know that habitats of animals everywhere are being destroyed, but the
extent of the problem is unimaginable. In recent years, the mountain gorilla
population has been cut in half, and are now down to around 650 gorillas in
the world. (3) If something is not done to maintain and expand the current
Mountain Gorilla population, they may not be around much longer.
There are three species of gorillas. "The Mountain Gorilla is the
largest of them all, and also the rarest." (6) "They can be found in the
Virunga volcano region in central Africa. The region is in three countries,
Rwanda, Zaire, and Uganda." (6) A small population of Mountain Gorillas
can also be found in Uganda's Bwindi national park. (7)
Mountain Gorillas are the largest of all apes. The Mountain Gorilla is
extremely strong, with broad shoulders and a short torso. The male of the
species is consistently bigger than the female. They can reach up to 400
pounds for a male, and 200 for a female. (6) Males can reach around six feet
tall, while females only grow to four or five feet while standing upright. (6)
"Males often times have a silver streak of hair running down their back and
are sometimes referred to as silverbacks." (6)
Mountain Gorillas eat a variety of food. "They spend over half their
waking time feeding." (1) "Gorillas do eat meat, but it is confined to very
small prey." (1) "Gorillas eat millipedes, ants, and many other small
arthropods." (1) "Gorillas also eat a variety of vegetation, including roots,
leaves, vines, and bamboo shoots." It is a common misconception that
bananas are a large staple of the gorilla diet. "Bananas are preferred by
gorillas but do not grow in large enough quantity in central Africa to maintain
A major cause of the lack of Mountain Gorilla's in the world is their
...