Eastern Lowland Gorilla
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| Gorilla beringei graueri (Matschie, 1914) |
The Eastern Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) is a subspecies of Eastern Gorilla that is now only found in the forests of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
This subspecies is more robust in appearance than the Western Lowland Gorilla, having longer teeth, a stronger jaw and a broader torso. They have black coats which in males, like other gorillas, turns silver at the back as the animal matures.
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[edit] Habitat and diet
Eastern Lowland Gorilla is predominantly herbivorous, eating mostly leaves. They are known to eat only a few leaves from a single plant, allowing the plant to regrow. They will also eat fruit, seeds, bamboo shoots and insects.
[edit] Behavior
Eastern Lowland Gorilla tends to be sociable and peaceful, living in groups of 5 to 30. A group usually consists of one silverback and few subdominant males. Silverbacks are the strong, dominant troop leaders (see alpha male). They are in charge of leading the group to food and protecting the group from danger. Males will slowly begin to leave their original group when they reach maturity, usually traveling with a group of other males for a few years before being able to attract females to form a new group.
[edit] Reproduction
A female will give birth to twins or a single infant after a gestation period of about 8 ½ months. They breastfeed for about 12 months. The baby can crawl at around 9 weeks old and can walk at about 35 weeks old. Infant gorillas normally stay with their mother for 3 to 4 years and mature at around 11 to 12 years old.
[edit] References
- Butynski et al (2000). Gorilla beringei ssp. graueri. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 10 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this subspecies is endangered
