1. Gorillas By Jaideep May 15, 2012 Renzulli Independent Project
Frazer Elementary

2. At the end there will be a quiz, so pay attention!
Introduction
Today I would like to inform you about gorillas.
I will talk about:
Types of gorillas
Diet & Behavior
Reproduction
Gorilla Fun
Celebrity Gorillas
Endangered Species
At the end there will be a quiz, so pay attention!

3. All of these live in Africa
Types of Gorillas
Before now there were three types of gorillas, the mountain gorilla, the eastern lowland gorilla, and the western lowland gorilla. Recently there has been a change stating there are two species of gorillas, and four subspecies:
Western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) Species
Western Lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) Subspecies
Cross River gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli) Subspecies
Eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei) Species
Mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) Subspecies
Eastern Lowland gorilla (Gorilla beringei gruaen) Subspecies
All of these live in Africa

4. Map of Africa where gorillas are located
Habitat
Map of Africa where gorillas are located
Map courtesy of Wikipedia
Eastern gorillas
Western gorillas

5. A Day at the Cleveland Zoo
I also went to the Cleveland Zoo to get more info on gorillas.

6. What do gorillas eat?
Gorillas eat a variety of foods. Their diet includes:
Fruits
Roots
Leaves
Bamboo shoots
Tree bark
Bugs
So they are mainly vegetarians. These foods can be found in the western and eastern parts of Africa.

7. Watch a gorilla eating

8. Where do gorillas sleep?
Gorillas sleep on the ground. They usually build a nest out of the branches they find on the ground. The pack leader decides when they sleep. The pack leader also decides where they rest. The gorilla pack leaves their nest when they are done sleeping and they don't clean it up!

9. Groups
Gorillas come in groups of 6 to about 30. There is one pack leader, some females carrying the babies, and juvenile males. The pack leader is a mature gorilla male that has a silver stripe down its back. A gorilla group is called a troup.

10. Reproduction
The gorillas gestation period (the time it takes for the infant to form in the mother's abdomen) is about 9 months just like humans. The same gorilla can become pregnant several times in her life. The mother has its first baby when it is about 6-7 years old.

11. Children
Gorillas have 1 child at a time. There is rarely a time when a mother has twins or multiple babies at once. An average newborn gorilla weighs 4 to 10 pounds and is inches long. They are dependent on the mother until they are about 6 months old.

12. Lifespan
Gorillas can get up to 40 years old, and the record is 55 years by Colo at the Columbus Zoo, but some die in the first 3 years because of diseases. These diseases that kill are a result of the gorillas going to the bathroom in their nests.

13. Predator
The gorilla doesn't really have many predators, except for wild cats such as:
Jaguars
Cheetahs
Leopards
Lions
For protection gorillas use "weapons" they create out of sticks that they find. The gorillas don't have to worry much, because gorillas don't normally meet these predators in the wild.

14. Gorilla Fun
Gorillas also like to have fun! Watch this video of a gorilla dancing! Dance, gorilla, dance!

15. Koko the talking gorilla
Koko is a female gorilla who learned American sign language. She was born in the San Francisco Zoo on July 4th, At the age of three, Koko got a gorilla friend named Michael who also learned sign language. Koko now lives with Francine "Penny" Patterson in Woodside, California. Penny has recently been trying to find Koko and Michael a new home in the forests of Maui, Hawaii.
Watch this video of Koko.

16. Koko - The Talking Gorilla
Watch this video of Koko speaking to us
about endangered gorillas.

17. Gorillas are endangered
Gorillas are endangered because their habitats are getting cut down in Africa. There are only a few thousand left. All you have to do to help is plant more trees for their home.
Help protect the gorillas!

18. Gorilla pop quiz 1. What do gorillas eat?
Answer: Fruits, Roots, Leaves, Bamboo shoots, Tree bark, and Bugs
2. Who is the gorilla(s) that learned sign language?
Answer: Koko and Michael
3. Are gorillas endangered?
Answer: Yes, there are only a few thousand left in their natural habitats of Africa
4. What is the gorillas predator(s)?
Answer: Wild Cats such as Jaguars, Cheetahs, Leopards and Lions
5. How old is the mother when she has her first baby?
Answer: 6 to 7 years old
6. How many gorillas are in a troup?
Answer: 6 to 30 gorillas

19. Wrap-up

20. Sources Encyclopedia Books Web sites Others
Susman, Randall L. "Gorilla." World Book Student. World Book, Web. 30 Apr
Books
Patterson, Francine. Koko's Story, 1987
Wootton, Anthony. Gorillas, 1981
Web sites
Wikipedia:
Youtube - multiple videos
The Gorilla Foundation:
Others
Cleveland Metropolitan Zoo - Displays