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Gorillas are the
largest of the apes.
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Gorilla
Classification:
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Primates
Family:
Hominidae
Genus:
Gorilla
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Conservation
Status: Gorillas
species are dwindling
due to the loss
of habitat, human
encroachment, poaching
and due to pervasive
diseases like ebola.
Other Names:
Great Ape,
Gorilla
in Foreign
Languages
Arabic:
Ghuriila
Armenian:
Gorilla
Belarusian:
Haryla
Mandarin:
Daxingxing
Czech:
Gorila
Dutch:
Gorilla
Estonian:
Gorilla
Finnish:
Gorilla
French:
Gorille
German:
Gorilla
Greek:
Gorilas
Hindi:
Gorilla
Hungarian:
Gorilla
Italian:
Gorilla
Japanese:
Gorira
Korean:
Gorilla
Navajo:
Magitsoh
Norwegian:
Gorilla
Persian:
Goril
Portuguese:
Gorila
Romanian:
Gorila
/ Gorile
Russian:
Gorilla
Serbo-Croatian:
Gorila
Spanish:
Gorila
Swahili:
Ngagi
Swedish:
Gorilla
Thai:
Gor-rin-laa
/ Ling-gor-rin-laa
Turkish:
Goril
Ukrainian:
Horyla
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Size: Male
gorillas measure
5.5 feet when standing
upright, and weigh
300-450 lbs. Female
gorillas measure
approximately 4.5
feet when upright
and weigh around
200 lbs. Adult male
gorillas also known
as silverbacks,
are almost twice
the size of the
adult female gorillas.
Species: There
are four species
of gorilla.
Species
of Gorillas
Eastern
Lowland
/ Grauer's
Gorilla
- Gorilla
Beringei
Graueri
Mountain
Gorilla
- Gorilla
Beringei
Beringei
Western
Lowland
Gorilla
- Gorilla
Gorilla
Gorilla
Cross
River Gorilla
- Gorilla
Gorilla
Diehl
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Habitat:
Gorillas live in
Africa. They are
found in lowland
tropical rain forests
and in the higher
rain forests, mountain
slopes, and bamboo
forests.
Gestation: Gorillas
carry their young
for 8.3 to 9 months.
Birth: Gorillas
give birth to young
that weigh 4 to
5 lbs at birth.
The gorilla infants
are helpless, they
begin to crawl around
2 months of age,
and they walk around
8 - 9 months. The
young nurse for
up to 3 years.
Sexual Maturity:
Male gorillas
are sexually mature
around 13 years
of age. Female gorillas
are sexually mature
around 10 years
of age. Females
give birth every
3.5 - 4.5 years
Behavior:
Gorillas are most
active in the morning
and late afternoon.
Gorillas over the
age of 3 make nests,
for resting and
night nests for
sleeping.
Diet: Gorillas
are herbivores.
Gorillas eat leaves,
shoots, roots, vines
and fruits.
Description:
Gorillas have
dark skin and black
to brown-grey hair.
Males become silverish
gray on their backs
and thighs when
they reach sexual
maturity earning
them the name "silverback".
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Communication:
A gorillas
communication
is very overt
it can involve
beating their
chests, cupped
hands to make
a loud noise,
scream, baring
their teeth,
and charging.
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Did
You
Know?
Gorillas
are
very
hairy,
except
for
their
faces,
palms,
and
soles
of
their
feet.
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Social Structure:
Gorillas are social,
they live in groups
called troops. Troops
consist of one adult
male and multiple
adult females and
with their offspring.
Gorillas will groom
each other as part
of their social
habits.
Life Span:
The life span of
a gorilla in the
wild is 30 to 40
years. A gorilla's
life span in captivity
is approximately
50 years.
Unusual:
Gorillas are very
intelligent and
can learn extremely
complex tasks, for
example some gorillas
have learned some
sign-language to
communicate with
humans.
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