Mountain gorilla diet
Mountain gorilla diet : Gorillas are great primates with huge developed brain but no tail. There are four subspecies of gorillas: mountain gorillas, western lowland gorillas, eastern lowland gorillas, and cross-river gorillas. The two species of gorillas that are currently known are the eastern and western gorillas.
In east Africa, where Focus East Africa Tours mostly organizes gorilla safaris to; Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo, holds mountain gorillas apart from D.R. Congo which has two protected areas harboring both mountain gorillas and eastern lowland gorillas.
Rwanda is home to the Volcanoes National Park, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Virunga National Park, and the only park in East Africa that protects eastern lowland gorillas, Kahuzi-Biega National Park.
However, Uganda is renowned for being home to a sizable population of mountain gorillas, amounting to 500 in total nearly half of all gorillas worldwide. This number is only recorded in two protected areas Mgahinga and Bwindi impenetrable national Parks. Mgahinga gorilla national Park is also home of interesting golden monkeys and hosts three of the Virunga volcanoes namely; Gahinga, Sabyinyo and Muhabura mountains.
Furthermore, these endangered mountain gorillas are pure herbivorous that mainly feed on bamboo shoots, stems, leaves, fruits, vines and grass. As a result, the majority of their food comes from plants, where they consume over 140 different plant species. Nevertheless, they eat only 3% of fruits and flowers, 7% of roots, 86% of fresh leaves, grass, vines, and stems, and the remaining % consists of insects such as termites, ants, snails, and more.
Male mountain gorillas feed more than females, and both species consume large amounts of food. Males have a daily consumption limit of 34 kg of vegetation, while females can only eat up to 18 kg. This means that males consume 16 kg more than females. These animals drink very little water because they eat a lot of food that is high in water, and their rate of water consumption is also influenced by the dew they come across while feeding in the morning.
They rely on various plants for food nutrients; for instance, they can eat one plant for its leaves and another for its roots. This is related to their feeding habits.
When seeking food, mountain gorillas can travel up to one kilometer or less each day, and they are unable to stay in one location for longer than two days the same is true for sleeping or nesting. They are the largest primates that weigh about 195 kilograms which makes make to be the strongest primates than chimpanzees. They get their food mainly using hands and lips.
Just like other primate species, Mountain gorillas live in families, also called troops or groups. Each gorilla family is guided by one dominant male called silverback. They don’t like fights unless it’s needed like any separation of group to form a new one by another dominant male from the same group, during copulation since it’s only the silver back that is supposed to mate with all females in a group or scarcity of food in the area.
When gorilla babies are six months old, they begin to eat simple plant parts. By the time they are eight months old, however, they are eating everything. From the day of their birth until they are 2.5 or 3 years old, their mothers take care of them. In a quest for food, a silver back is responsible for leading its family to where food is enough for all members.
Mountain gorillas sleep twice a day, in the late afternoon and early morning. The remainder of the day is spent eating and looking for food. The young gorillas mostly play with one another and practice building nests while the adult gorillas are sleeping.
Visitors may witness all these fascinating gorilla eating customs as well as how they nest and sleep when on an African gorilla trekking safari. We are the greatest travel company to book gorilla safaris and more, so please contact us with any questions you may have about going to Uganda, Rwanda, or the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
