Western Lowland Gorilla
![Picture](/uploads/1/4/0/8/14080449/1430445274.png)
Habitat
Western lowland gorillas live in lowland tropical forests in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Angola, and Nigeria. They live in some of Africa’s densest and most remote rainforests from sea level to about 1,600m.
Gorillas utilise a range of plant species for consumption and shelter. About 67% of their diet is fruit, 17% is leaves, seeds and stems and 3% is termites and caterpillars. Gorillas construct nests for day and night use. Day nests tend to be simple and made of branches and leaves on the ground whilst night nests tend to have more time and effort put into them and they are constructed in trees. The nests are constructed and used by one individual Gorilla and young animals nest with their mother and do not construct their own nest until three years of age.
To keep gorillas happy in captivity, large habitats that resemble their own natural one have to be created. The lifespan for a gorilla in captivity is 50 years compared to in the wild it is 35-40 years. They live longer in captivity because they have medical attention given to them when they need it, there are no predators or threats and food is provided to them everyday. However in Zoo's the Gorilla is not able to follow through with day to day activities as normal. Each day a Gorilla builds a new nest in a new location but in an enclosure they do not have the mobility to do so. This is causing Gorillas to become obese in captivity as they are sitting around too much. From the boredom of sitting around all of the time and not doing general "Gorilla things" the Gorilla's mental health would also be affected.
Western lowland gorillas live in lowland tropical forests in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Angola, and Nigeria. They live in some of Africa’s densest and most remote rainforests from sea level to about 1,600m.
Gorillas utilise a range of plant species for consumption and shelter. About 67% of their diet is fruit, 17% is leaves, seeds and stems and 3% is termites and caterpillars. Gorillas construct nests for day and night use. Day nests tend to be simple and made of branches and leaves on the ground whilst night nests tend to have more time and effort put into them and they are constructed in trees. The nests are constructed and used by one individual Gorilla and young animals nest with their mother and do not construct their own nest until three years of age.
To keep gorillas happy in captivity, large habitats that resemble their own natural one have to be created. The lifespan for a gorilla in captivity is 50 years compared to in the wild it is 35-40 years. They live longer in captivity because they have medical attention given to them when they need it, there are no predators or threats and food is provided to them everyday. However in Zoo's the Gorilla is not able to follow through with day to day activities as normal. Each day a Gorilla builds a new nest in a new location but in an enclosure they do not have the mobility to do so. This is causing Gorillas to become obese in captivity as they are sitting around too much. From the boredom of sitting around all of the time and not doing general "Gorilla things" the Gorilla's mental health would also be affected.
![Picture](/uploads/1/4/0/8/14080449/3133253.jpg?258)
Adaptations
Structural:
Western lowland adult male gorillas are about 1.7 m in body length and weigh about
169.5 kg. Adult females are about 1.5 m in body length and weigh about 71.5 kg.
Shape
Gorillas have a distinctive shape in that their stomachs are larger than their chests.
Their stomach size is so big because of their enlarged intestines, which digest the bulky
fibrous vegetation they consume.
Arms
Gorillas have larger muscles in their arms than in their legs. This is mainly due to the fact
that they use their increased arm strength for bending and gathering foliage and for defense. They are capable of walking upright on two feet but they mostly walk quadruped (on four limbs). An adult gorilla's upper body strength is six times more powerful than that of an adult human.
Hands/Feet
Gorilla’s hands and feet can both be used to grip and handle objects due to them having an opposable toe unlike humans. Primates have fingernails and toenails rather than claws which are used for opening, scraping, cleaning, and scratching.
Physiological:
Glands
Adult male gorillas have large apocrine (scent) glands in their armpits that produce a strong odour when excited or stressed. Gorillas have apocrine (scent) and eccrine (sweat) glands that lubricate the palms of their hands and soles of their feet.
Fur Coat
The Gorillas coat does moult but not dramatically like for example a dog. Its coat moults more like human hair does. The coat of a gorilla only grows to a certain length which is short for the Western Lowland Gorilla which lives in the lower, warmer areas and for the mountain gorilla their coat is longer because it is much colder up in the mountains and it has adapted to this.
Behavioural:
Gorillas are non-territorial and live in groups called troops that generally consist of 1 to 4 adult males (called silverbacks), some juvenile males (called black-backs), several adult females and young. The oldest and strongest adult male silverback is usually dominant in the group. Silverbacks are typically more aggressive than other group members since the troop's safety is their responsibility. The silverback makes all group decisions and is responsible for most of the calls. It even receives the largest portion of food. When in a threatening situation, the silverback will ferociously beat its chest, produce loud ferocious vocalisations and a strong odour, throw vegetation and charge at its opponent or intruder.
Gorillas spend about 14 hours feeding and foraging and about 10 hours resting every day. Gorillas construct a new nest each night because they travel to different locations during the day foraging. The daily construction of new nests also helps avoid parasites that may nest in the bedding.
Reproductive:
Female gorillas are sexually mature at around seven to eight years of age. They do not usually reproduce until they are ten years old. Males mature later than the females and are rarely strong and dominant enough to reproduce before 15 to 20 years of age. Females are in oestrus for one to two days per month and only the dominant silverback has breeding rights. The gorilla's gestation period is about 8.5 months and young are born throughout the year and usually at night. There is usually only one infant born but twins can also be born but are very rare.
Structural:
Western lowland adult male gorillas are about 1.7 m in body length and weigh about
169.5 kg. Adult females are about 1.5 m in body length and weigh about 71.5 kg.
Shape
Gorillas have a distinctive shape in that their stomachs are larger than their chests.
Their stomach size is so big because of their enlarged intestines, which digest the bulky
fibrous vegetation they consume.
Arms
Gorillas have larger muscles in their arms than in their legs. This is mainly due to the fact
that they use their increased arm strength for bending and gathering foliage and for defense. They are capable of walking upright on two feet but they mostly walk quadruped (on four limbs). An adult gorilla's upper body strength is six times more powerful than that of an adult human.
Hands/Feet
Gorilla’s hands and feet can both be used to grip and handle objects due to them having an opposable toe unlike humans. Primates have fingernails and toenails rather than claws which are used for opening, scraping, cleaning, and scratching.
Physiological:
Glands
Adult male gorillas have large apocrine (scent) glands in their armpits that produce a strong odour when excited or stressed. Gorillas have apocrine (scent) and eccrine (sweat) glands that lubricate the palms of their hands and soles of their feet.
Fur Coat
The Gorillas coat does moult but not dramatically like for example a dog. Its coat moults more like human hair does. The coat of a gorilla only grows to a certain length which is short for the Western Lowland Gorilla which lives in the lower, warmer areas and for the mountain gorilla their coat is longer because it is much colder up in the mountains and it has adapted to this.
Behavioural:
Gorillas are non-territorial and live in groups called troops that generally consist of 1 to 4 adult males (called silverbacks), some juvenile males (called black-backs), several adult females and young. The oldest and strongest adult male silverback is usually dominant in the group. Silverbacks are typically more aggressive than other group members since the troop's safety is their responsibility. The silverback makes all group decisions and is responsible for most of the calls. It even receives the largest portion of food. When in a threatening situation, the silverback will ferociously beat its chest, produce loud ferocious vocalisations and a strong odour, throw vegetation and charge at its opponent or intruder.
Gorillas spend about 14 hours feeding and foraging and about 10 hours resting every day. Gorillas construct a new nest each night because they travel to different locations during the day foraging. The daily construction of new nests also helps avoid parasites that may nest in the bedding.
Reproductive:
Female gorillas are sexually mature at around seven to eight years of age. They do not usually reproduce until they are ten years old. Males mature later than the females and are rarely strong and dominant enough to reproduce before 15 to 20 years of age. Females are in oestrus for one to two days per month and only the dominant silverback has breeding rights. The gorilla's gestation period is about 8.5 months and young are born throughout the year and usually at night. There is usually only one infant born but twins can also be born but are very rare.
![Picture](/uploads/1/4/0/8/14080449/9259769.jpg?310)
Issues
Interaction with other animal species:
Leopards and crocodiles are large carnivores which can prey upon gorillas. Generally the wild cats know that they aren’t going to be a match for the strength of the gorillas. But that won’t stop them from snatching a young one that has wandered too far from its mother or one that is too sick to fight. In swamps, there are issues with crocodiles and gorillas. Even though the crocodiles aren’t usually able to kill them, they can definitely cause some serious injuries that the gorilla isn’t able to recover from. Sometimes these crocodiles can successfully take down a weak or young gorilla. It is extremely rare that gorillas would compete for or share food.
How are humans effecting the survival of your animal?
The main threats to gorilla populations today are habitat loss/destruction, and poaching.
The main reason that the gorillas habitat is being destroyed is because coltan is available for mining in that area. Coltan is a metallic ore comprising niobium and tantalum. This rare mineral becomes a heat resistant powder which has unique electrical charge storage capabilities. It is an essential component in the capacitors that regulate current flow in the circuit boards of mobile phones. Nearly four-fifths of the world's tantalum resources are located in Africa, of which 80% is located in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where the endangered gorilla’s main population is located. The searching of the area causes the gorilla’s habitat to be destroyed. Melbourne Zoo is trying to raise awareness for this great issue and they are encouraging people to donate old mobile phones so that the coltan can be reused in new mobile phones. This will give gorillas the best chance to not become extinct in the future.
Gorillas are poached for three main reasons: meat, capture for collections, and trophies. The main reason for poaching gorillas is for bushmeat. Forested areas in Africa are often referred to as 'the bush'. Meat from wildlife living in these areas is called bushmeat. Most of the animals caught in this area are either threatened or endangered, like the elephant, gorilla, and chimpanzee. People are earning about $300-$1,000 per year which is higher than the average regional household income in Africa for selling bushmeat. This practice is illegal and should be put to a stop as is it making the critically endangered become closer to extinction.
What would happen to the ecosystem if this animal became extinct?
If the Western Lowland gorilla became extinct its predators would have much less food to eat. If all crocodiles began to eat just antelopes for example, then they would soon become extinct too, because of all its other predators. It may not seem like it, but the Western Lowland Gorilla has a very crucial role in its ecosystem, it is just some of the glue holding it all together.
Interaction with other animal species:
Leopards and crocodiles are large carnivores which can prey upon gorillas. Generally the wild cats know that they aren’t going to be a match for the strength of the gorillas. But that won’t stop them from snatching a young one that has wandered too far from its mother or one that is too sick to fight. In swamps, there are issues with crocodiles and gorillas. Even though the crocodiles aren’t usually able to kill them, they can definitely cause some serious injuries that the gorilla isn’t able to recover from. Sometimes these crocodiles can successfully take down a weak or young gorilla. It is extremely rare that gorillas would compete for or share food.
How are humans effecting the survival of your animal?
The main threats to gorilla populations today are habitat loss/destruction, and poaching.
The main reason that the gorillas habitat is being destroyed is because coltan is available for mining in that area. Coltan is a metallic ore comprising niobium and tantalum. This rare mineral becomes a heat resistant powder which has unique electrical charge storage capabilities. It is an essential component in the capacitors that regulate current flow in the circuit boards of mobile phones. Nearly four-fifths of the world's tantalum resources are located in Africa, of which 80% is located in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where the endangered gorilla’s main population is located. The searching of the area causes the gorilla’s habitat to be destroyed. Melbourne Zoo is trying to raise awareness for this great issue and they are encouraging people to donate old mobile phones so that the coltan can be reused in new mobile phones. This will give gorillas the best chance to not become extinct in the future.
Gorillas are poached for three main reasons: meat, capture for collections, and trophies. The main reason for poaching gorillas is for bushmeat. Forested areas in Africa are often referred to as 'the bush'. Meat from wildlife living in these areas is called bushmeat. Most of the animals caught in this area are either threatened or endangered, like the elephant, gorilla, and chimpanzee. People are earning about $300-$1,000 per year which is higher than the average regional household income in Africa for selling bushmeat. This practice is illegal and should be put to a stop as is it making the critically endangered become closer to extinction.
What would happen to the ecosystem if this animal became extinct?
If the Western Lowland gorilla became extinct its predators would have much less food to eat. If all crocodiles began to eat just antelopes for example, then they would soon become extinct too, because of all its other predators. It may not seem like it, but the Western Lowland Gorilla has a very crucial role in its ecosystem, it is just some of the glue holding it all together.
By Mitchell Kirkman M10.2