Western gorilla. It is smaller than Eastern Gorillas , but not by much, and they are very similar in physical appearance. There are two subspecies of Western Gorilla: the Western Lowland Gorilla and the River Crossing Gorilla.
Summary
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- 1 Description
- 2 Behavior
- 3 Food
- 4 Playback
- 5 Conservation
- 6 Human interaction
- 7 sources
Description
These gorillas are usually black , but can be dark brown or grayish. One feature that is different from the Eastern Gorilla is that it has a protrusion at the tip of its nose.
Behaviour
Although the Western Gorilla is very heavy, it appears to be more agile than the Eastern Gorilla, although this has been observed and documented, researchers are unable to explain why this is and some believe it could be the fact that their diet it appears to consist of more types of fruit . This extra fiber could be part of why they have that ability, but it hasn’t been confirmed.
Feeding
There are more than 100 different types of fruit trees that the western gorilla can feed on, many of them being seasonal so they will consume different fruits throughout the year. They can feed on branches, leaves , grass and small insects such as termites .. They are known to use various types of tools such as sticks and stones in order to get to food sources, cracking the shells of nuts with stones even though they have teeth strong enough to reach what is inside them. They spend about 30% of their day eating a wide variety of foods. They are careful not to remove all vegetation from a given area before moving on to the next location. It is the responsibility of the dominant male to move the herd whenever he feels the time is right.
Reproduction
Breeding can take place at any time of the year for Western Gorillas. The male silverback only mates with females from his own pride. To help with genetics , females and young males leave the herd they were born into when they are mature and go off to find a new herd to become part of. The females are very good caregivers and care for their young for the first 4 years of life. They do not reproduce during the young’s first few years so that they can focus on their care. If their children die they will mate much sooner.
conservation
Although there are a greater number of Western Gorillas than in the Eastern Species, they are also classified as endangered animals. There are approximately 350,000 Western Lowland Gorillas and only about 300 remaining River Crossing Gorillas , making it considered to be at the highest risk of extinction of any identified gorilla category in the world. The Western Gorilla has suffered dramatic declines as a result of various viruses . These health problems seem to spread very quickly within packs and be passed on by others venturing into the same feeding areas. Ebola virus outbreaksit is a huge problem that continues to threaten the population of these gorillas despite everything that is done to protect them. In 2008 there was an amazing discovery in the Republic of Congo , approximately 125,000 Western Gorillas were found that no one knew existed. Despite this, they are still on the list of endangered species.
human interaction
Most gorillas in captivity are Western Gorillas. They are basically very calm and there have been many reports of people being saved by them. Western Gorillas are often illegally hunted for their meat and as trophies. Conservation efforts are crucial to protect them against these interactions with humans.
