The Gorilla By: Mia Bizjak

Introduction

Body Characteristics

Food and Nutrition Did you know gorillas are herbivores? Gorillas eat things like fruit, leaves, and a wild variety of plants. I can’t believe gorillas get so big by only eating plants. Gorillas also like wild celery, bamboo shoots, herbs, vines, leaves, and flowers. They even eat sharp things like thistles and nettles. Gorillas enjoy sweet things like berries, sugar cane, and honey. Gorillas don’t drink water instead they suck the juice from plants and fruit they eat. They sometimes eat insects, but rarely ever. Gorillas spend most of the day eating, and eating is their favorite activity. Did you know a giant silverback can eat up to 50 pounds of greens in one day? They also eat tree bark and seeds occasionally. I hope you enjoyed learning about what gorillas eat!

Life Cycle Here is the gorillas life cycle from the day it’s born to the day it dies. The mother gorilla usually has one baby at a time. She has a live birth. When gorillas are born they weigh about 4 to 5 pounds. They can walk at 5 to 6 months. The young gorilla learns by watching older gorillas, and playing with other young gorillas. The gorilla stays close to his or her mother until about 4 years old. They become an adult at 7 or 8 years old. Then they are ready to leave their mother. A newborn baby has pinkish – grayish skin. When they are born they are half the size of a human baby. They live until about 30 – 45 years old. Well, that’s the gorillas life cycle from the days its born to the day it dies.

Habitat Gorillas live in western Africa, near the equator, and they also live in areas of central Africa. All gorillas live in dense jungles. The western gorilla inhabits primary, secondary, and swamp forests. The cross River gorilla is the most restricted of gorillas, being found in only few isolated populations on the Nigerian-Cameroon borders. The Western Gorilla is also found in areas of Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Gaboon, Equatorial Guinea, and Cabinda Enclave of Angola. Those are just a couple of places the gorilla lives, but I’m sure they live in other places.

Enemies and Survival Functions Here is the gorillas enemies and survival functions. Africans are the gorillas worst predator, because they destroy forests for farming. Also hunters kill gorillas for their meat or to sell body parts. Another thing that’s killing gorillas is traps meant for other animals, and diseases that humans catch. One disease called Ebola kills humans, chimpanzees, and gorillas. At least several thousand gorillas have been killed by Ebola in recent years. The gorillas natural predator when young is the Jaguar. The reason is because jaguars are pretty fast and they have sharp teeth, but they don’t dare try to eat a full grown gorilla. Well now you know most of the gorillas predators.

Interesting Facts

Bibliography Page Books Title: Gorillas Author: Mue Woods Title: Gorillas Author: Kathryn Stevens Title: Gorillas Author: Judith Jango- Kohen Internet Website: Other Title: Zoo Books Title: Pamphlet