Hobbies And Interests
Geographical Location and Habitat
There are three subspecies of eastern gorillas, two of which inhabit the Democratic Republic of Congo; the mountain and eastern lowlands gorillas. The rain forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo are the only place in the world where the eastern lowland gorilla remains. It is mainly found climbing on trees in the Kahuzi Biega National Park. The mountain gorilla is found in the mountain-forest region where Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo meet. Although it can climb trees, the mountain gorilla prefers to live on the ground.
Physical Features
Each type of gorilla has slightly different physical features. Mountain gorillas are the slightly larger species, weighing up to 485 lbs. A mountain gorilla has long, muscular arms and broad hands. It has thick black hair to insulate it from the cold of living in a high-mountain area. The eastern lowland gorilla is slightly smaller than the mountain primate. It has shorter hair than the mountain gorilla, although it has longer arms to aid in climbing trees. An old male eastern lowland gorilla won't have hair on its chest.
Diet
The eastern lowland gorilla is herbivorous. It eats leaves, bamboo shoots, seeds and other vegetation. It normally eats in the morning and afternoon. The mountain gorilla also has a vegetarian diet. It feeds on roots, bamboo shoots, wild celery, fruit, tree bark and pulp.
Behavior
Both subspecies of gorilla are sociable animals. They live in groups, called troops, which are led by a dominant male. This male is called a silverback because it has silver hair, which appears when a gorilla is old. The silverback is responsible for looking after a group of unrelated females and mating with them to produce young. He also defends the group from threats, including humans and lone silverbacks looking to mate with females in the group.
Endangerment
The eastern lowland and mountain gorilla are listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Red List of Threatened Species. The eastern lowland has been listed as endangered since 1988, and the mountain gorilla was officially listed as endangered in 2000. Humans are the main cause for both subspecies' endangerment. They have lost a significant amount of habitat in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo. Poaching is another serious problem. Their body parts are used for traditional medicines and as magical charms. They are also eaten or kept as pets.