Western Lowland Gorilla

True Wild Life | Western Lowland Gorilla | The western lowland gorilla is one of two subspecies of western gorilla (the other being the incredibly rare cross river gorilla) found in the jungles on the African continent. The western lowland gorilla is the most numerous species of western gorilla but is still considered to be critically endangered in the wild. The western lowland gorilla is found inhabiting the tropical jungles and forests of western and central Africa, along with lowland swamps and secondary forests. The western lowland gorilla is found throughout Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon and is also the most likely gorilla to be seen in the world's zoos.

There are two separate sub-species of western gorilla which are the western lowland gorilla and the cross river gorilla. Although only slightly different in appearance, the two western gorilla species are distinguished by their differing skull and tooth sizes, and the cross river gorilla is also much rarer than the western lowland gorilla with only a handful thought to be left in the wild. The western lowland gorilla is one of the great apes, a group that includes orang-utans, gorillas, humans and chimpanzees. As with the other great apes, the western lowland gorilla has a number of features which makes living in the jungle a bit easier, including having opposable thumbs which come in handy when the western lowland gorilla is peeling fruit.

The western lowland gorilla is an omnivorous animal, but the majority of it's diet is made up of eating fruit which the western lowland gorilla is known to travel vast distances through the forests to find. The western lowland gorilla also eats leaves, nuts and berries, along with insects and occasionally small animals such as lizards and rodents. The western lowland gorilla has also been observed using basic tools in the wild in order to more effectively gather food. Due to it's large size, the western lowland gorilla has few real predators in it's native African forests, with large cats such as leopards and the odd crocodile being the only real natural threat to the western lowland gorilla. The biggest threat to the western lowland gorilla is habitat loss caused by deforestation and also being hunted by humans. Parts of the western lowland gorilla's territory have also been taken over by civil unrest in recent years, which, along with poaching, has had a truly devastating affect on wild populations.

The western lowland gorilla tends to live in groups which are led and protected by the alpha male. The alpha male western lowland gorilla also mates with the females in his group, producing generally single offspring, known as babies. The western lowland gorilla babies remain with their mother until they are a few years old and become independent. Today, the western lowland gorilla is classified as one of the world's critically endangered species with an estimated 95,000 western lowland gorilla individuals thought to be left in the jungles of Africa.

Western Gorilla

True Wild Life | Western Gorilla | The western gorilla is one of two gorilla sub-groups found on the African continent (the other being the eastern gorilla). The western gorilla is the most numerous species gorilla and also the larger out of the two. The western gorilla is found inhabiting the tropical jungles and forests of western and central Africa, along with lowland swamps and secondary forests. All western gorillas are now considered to be critically endangered as much of their natural habitat has now been deforested or taken over by humans.

There are two separate sub-species of western gorilla which are the western lowland gorilla and the cross river gorilla. Although only slightly different in appearance, the two western gorilla species are distinguished by there differing skull and tooth sizes. The western gorilla is one of the great apes, a group that includes orang-utans, gorillas, humans and chimpanzees. As with the other great apes, the western gorilla has a number of features which makes living in the jungle a bit easier, including having opposable thumbs which come in handy when the western gorilla is peeling fruit.

The western gorilla is an omnivorous animal, but the majority of it's diet is made up of eating fruit which the western gorilla is known to travel vast distances through the forests to find. The western gorilla also eats leaves, nuts and berries, along with insects and occasionally small animals such as lizards and rodents. The western gorilla has also been observed using basic tools in the wild in order to more effectively gather food. Due to it's large size, the western gorilla has few real predators in it's native African forests, with large cats such as leopards and the odd crocodile being the only real natural threat to the western gorilla. The biggest threat to the western gorilla is habitat loss caused by deforestation and also being hunted by humans. Parts of the western gorilla's territory has also been taken over by civil unrest in recent years, which, along with poaching, has had a truly devastating affect on wild populations.

The western gorilla tends to live in groups which are led and protected by the alpha male. The alpha male western gorilla also mates with the females in his group, producing generally single offspring, known as babies. The western gorilla babies remain with their mother until they are a few years old and become independent. Today, all western gorillas are critically endangered species but there are thought to be 95,000 western lowland gorillas remaining in the wild, significantly more than their cross river gorilla cousins, whose numbers in the wild are thought to to as low as 300 individuals.

Mountain Gorilla

True Wild Life | Mountain Gorilla | There are two species of the mountain gorilla, both of which are found in the highlands in eastern Africa. One of these is found in the volcanic mountains of Virunga in Central Africa, with the mountain gorilla having a habitat range across 4 national parks throughout the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The other mountain gorilla species is found in Ugandas Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The mountain gorilla is one of the largest primates in the world with the male mountain gorilla, known as a silverback, often growing to twice the size of a female mountain gorilla.

The mountain gorilla has longer fur covering the mountain gorillas body when compared to other gorilla species, allowing the mountain gorilla to be able to withstand both hot and cold temperatures. The mountain gorilla has also taken to living mainly on the ground but is capable of hauling its enormous weight to around 6m high above the ground, when the mountain gorilla is looking to feed on fruits and berries that are inaccessible from the ground.

The mountain gorilla is diurnal and spends most of its waking life eating. The mountain gorilla is a highly sociable mammal and lives in groups of between 5 and 30 individuals, which includes a mix of both male and female mountain gorillas. The alpha male mountain gorilla tends to rule for around 5 years, and as these mountain gorilla groups are non-territorial, the alpha male mountain gorilla will defend his group rather than a particular territory. Around 60% of mountain gorillas, both male and female, with leave the mountain gorilla group that they are born into and will either join another group of mountain gorillas but will more likely, start their own group.

The mountain gorilla is said to be one of the closest living relatives to the human as the mountain gorillas hands are almost identical to the hands of a human being. The mountain gorilla is a critically endangered species as the mountain gorilla population has diminished rapidly through loss of habitat and illegal poaching. Scientists however has recently revealed that the mountain gorilla population in a nature reserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo has increased despite the war that is ongoing in that area of Africa.

Gorilla

True Wild Life | Gorilla | Gorillas are the biggest of the worlds primates and live in the forests in select parts of Africa. The gorilla population is sadly much lower than it used to be meaning that gorillas are an endangered species. Gorillas are herbivores, eating vegetation, fruits, shoots, berries and leaves. An adult male gorilla is able to consume up to 27 kg of food everyday. Gorillas are thought to be the most closely related to chimps and humans. It is said that the DNA of gorillas is 98-99% identical to human DNA!!

The gorilla is a very sociable animal inhabiting the African wilderness if groups from around 5 to 30 gorillas. The gorilla spend most of their time eating, sleeping and grooming the other gorillas. Gorillas move about by walking on their knuckles which helps to support the gorillas weight The gorilla is considered to be a highly intelligent animal on a similar level with humans and dolphins. The real extent of the gorillas intelligence is unknown, however one gorilla bred in captivity was successfully trained in human sign language.

The senses of a gorilla are very similar to the senses of the human and include hearing, taste, touch, smell and sight, although the sight of the gorilla is not quite as acute as the sight of the human but the gorilla is thought to be able to see in colour vision. The gorilla spends the night sleeping in a nest which the gorilla makes out of leaves and other plant materials. The nest of the gorilla is shaped like a bowl and is where the mother gorilla will sleep with the baby gorillas.

Despite what many people think, the gorilla is not an aggressive animal as the gorilla is known to be shy and peaceful in nature. The gorilla will generally only display aggressive behaviour towards another animal if the gorilla feels under threat but the gorilla will only tend to make lots of noise rather than attacking an unwanted intruder.

Eastern Lowland Gorilla

True Wild Life | Eastern Lowland Gorilla | The eastern lowland gorilla is one of two sub-species of eastern gorilla found roaming in the jungles on the African continent (the other being the mountain gorilla). The eastern lowland gorilla is more common than the mountain gorilla and is also one of the largest primates in the world. The eastern lowland gorilla is found inhabiting the tropical jungles and forests of parts of eastern and central Africa, along with lowland swamps and secondary forests. The eastern lowland gorilla is found in the trees throughout the countries of Rwanda, Uganda and parts of the eastern Congo.

There are considered to be two separate sub-species of eastern gorilla which are the eastern lowland gorilla and the mountain gorilla. Although only slightly different in appearance, the two eastern gorilla species differ in their numbers with the mountain gorilla being rarer in the wild today than the eastern lowland gorilla. The eastern lowland gorilla is one of the great apes, a group that includes orang-utans, gorillas, humans and chimpanzees. As with the other great apes, the eastern lowland gorilla has a number of features which makes living in the jungle a bit easier, including having opposable thumbs which come in handy when the eastern lowland gorilla is peeling fruit.

The eastern lowland gorilla is an omnivorous animal, but the majority of it's diet is made up of eating fruit which the eastern lowland gorilla is known to travel vast distances through the forests to find. The eastern lowland gorilla also eats leaves, nuts and berries, along with insects and occasionally small animals such as lizards and rodents. The eastern lowland gorilla has also been observed using basic tools in the wild in order to more effectively gather food. Due to it's large size, the eastern lowland gorilla has few real predators in it's native African forests, with large cats such as leopards and the odd crocodile being the only real natural threat to the eastern lowland gorilla. The biggest threat to the eastern lowland gorilla is habitat loss caused by deforestation and also being hunted by humans. Parts of the eastern lowland gorilla's territory has also been taken over by civil unrest in recent years, which, along with poaching, has had a truly devastating affect on wild populations.

The eastern lowland gorilla tends to live in groups which are led and protected by the alpha male. The alpha male eastern lowland gorilla also mates with the females in his group, producing generally single offspring, known as babies. The eastern lowland gorilla babies remain with their mother until they are a few years old and become independent. Today, mainly due to habitat loss and illegal poaching, the eastern lowland gorilla is considered to be a species that is in danger of becoming extinct in the wild forever. There are estimated to be around 5,000 eastern lowland gorillas, and an even fewer 700 mountain gorilla individuals left in the wild.

Eastern Gorilla

 

True Wild Life | Eastern Gorilla | The eastern gorilla is one of two gorilla sub-groups found roaming in the jungles on the African continent (the other being the western gorilla). The eastern gorilla is less common than the western gorilla and is also the largest primate in the world. The eastern gorilla is found inhabiting the tropical jungles and forests of parts of eastern and central Africa, along with lowland swamps and secondary forests. The eastern gorilla is found in the trees in throughout the countries of Rwanda, Uganda and eastern Congo.

There are considered to be two separate sub-species of eastern gorilla which are the eastern lowland gorilla and the mountain gorilla. Although only slightly different in appearance, the two eastern gorilla species differ in their numbers with the mountain gorilla being rarer in the wild today than the eastern lowland gorilla. The eastern gorilla is one of the great apes, a group that includes orang-utans, gorillas, humans and chimpanzees. As with the other great apes, the eastern gorilla has a number of features which makes living in the jungle a bit easier, including having opposable thumbs which come in handy when the eastern gorilla is peeling fruit.

The eastern gorilla is an omnivorous animal, but the majority of it's diet is made up of eating fruit which the eastern gorilla is known to travel vast distances through the forests to find. The eastern gorilla also eats leaves, nuts and berries, along with insects and occasionally small animals such as lizards and rodents. The eastern gorilla has also been observed using basic tools in the wild in order to more effectively gather food. Due to it's large size, the eastern gorilla has few real predators in it's native African forests, with large cats such as leopards and the odd crocodile being the only real natural threat to the eastern gorilla. The biggest threat to the eastern gorilla is habitat loss caused by deforestation and also being hunted by humans. Parts of the eastern gorilla's territory has also been taken over by civil unrest in recent years, which, along with poaching, has had a truly devastating affect on wild populations.

The eastern gorilla tends to live in groups which are led and protected by the alpha male. The alpha male eastern gorilla also mates with the females in his group, producing generally single offspring, known as babies. The eastern gorilla babies remain with their mother until they are a few years old and become independent. Today, all eastern gorillas are considered to be endangered species with populations having suffered due to habitat loss and illegal poaching. There are estimated to be around 5,000 eastern lowland gorillas, and an even fewer 700 mountain gorilla individuals left in the wild.

Cross River Gorilla

True Wild Life | Cross River Gorilla | The cross river gorilla is one of two subspecies of western gorilla (the other being the more numerous western lowland gorilla) found in the jungles on the African continent. The cross river gorilla is now incredibly rare in the wild and there are just a handful of cross river gorilla individuals thought to be in just 11 locations. The cross river gorilla is found inhabiting the tropical jungles and forests of western and central Africa, along with lowland swamps and secondary forests. The cross river gorilla is generally found on the border between Nigeria and Cameroon, where less than 300 individuals are estimated to be inhabiting the forests.

There are two separate sub-species of western gorilla which are the western lowland gorilla and the cross river gorilla. Although only slightly different in appearance, the two western gorilla species are distinguished by their differing skull and tooth sizes, and the western lowland gorilla is also more common than the cross river gorilla with nearly 100,000 individuals thought to be left in the wild (it is however still at critically endangered species). The cross river gorilla is one of the great apes, a group that includes orang-utans, gorillas, humans and chimpanzees. As with the other great apes, the cross river gorilla has a number of features which makes living in the jungle a bit easier, including having opposable thumbs which come in handy when the cross river gorilla is peeling fruit.

The cross river gorilla is an omnivorous animal, but the majority of it's diet is made up of eating fruit which the cross river gorilla is known to travel vast distances through the forests to find. The cross river gorilla also eats leaves, nuts and berries, along with insects and occasionally small animals such as lizards and rodents. The cross river gorilla has also been observed using basic tools in the wild in order to more effectively gather food. Due to it's large size, the cross river gorilla has few real predators in it's native African forests, with large cats such as leopards and the odd crocodile being the only real natural threat to the cross river gorilla. The biggest threat to the cross river gorilla is habitat loss caused by deforestation. Parts of the cross river gorilla's territory have also been taken over by civil unrest in recent years, which, along with poaching, has had a truly devastating affect on wild populations.

The cross river gorilla tends to live in groups which are led and protected by the alpha male. The alpha male cross river gorilla also mates with the females in his group, producing generally single offspring, known as babies. The cross river gorilla babies remain with their mother until they are a few years old and become independent. Today, the cross river gorilla is a critically endangered species with an estimated wild population of just 280 individuals. Habitat loss and hunting by humans for their meat, has led to the cross river gorilla now being considered one of the 25 most endangered animals on the surface of the planet.