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Baby western lowland gorilla1/22/2024 Status: wild 47.0 years Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research Status: captivity 39.3 years Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research Status: captivity 47.0 years Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research Wild gorillas live between 35 and 40 years with some captive gorillas living almost 50 years. Males do not typically interact much with the young, although they do protect their offspring by defending the social group against potentially infanticidal males who might wish to take over control of the group. They protect their young within the group. They remain dependent upon the mother for 3 to 4 years.įemales provide the young with transportation, food, and socialization. Young grow at approximately twice the rate of human babies and are able to crawl and cling to their mother by the age of 3 months. In the case of multiple young, the mother, who must carry the infants, finds it difficult to care for two and frequently allows one to die. Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male).Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male) 15 years.Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female).Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female) 10 years.Range time to independence 3 to 4 years.Average gestation period 256 days AnAge.Breeding season Gorillas breed year round.Breeding interval Females give birth at about four-year intervals.gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate).( "Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia '99 CD-ROM", 1999 MacDonald, 1987 Walker, 1975) Males, because of physical competition for mates, only rarely breed before the age of 15. However, a high mortality rate means surviving offspring are produced only once every 6 to 8 years. Females give birth at about four-year intervals, beginning when they are approximately ten years of age. A single young, weighing approximately 2 kg, is born after nine months of gestation. The dominant male, because of his superior fighting prowess and the perceived ability to better protect females and their offspring, is preferred by the females.Īs in humans, there is no fixed breeding season for gorillas, and females menstruate every 28 days. Typically one dominant male within a gorilla troup mates with the females in that group. Average wingspan males 175 cm females 125 cm in.( "Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia '99 CD-ROM", 1999 Deblase and Martin, 1981 MacDonald, 1987 Walker, 1975) Walking quadrupedally requires long arms, and the armspan of gorillas is larger than their standing height. Western gorillas frequently stand upright, but walk in a hunched, quadrupedal fashion, with hands curled and knuckles touching the ground. Hands are proportionately large with nails on all digits and very large thumbs. Large males, with large body size, canines, and jaw musculature, have increased physical and social power within the group. This marked sexual dimorphism is critical in group structure and mating. On average, females are only 1.25 meters tall. Male gorillas have stocky bodies standing usually 1.75 meters in height with bent knees. In the wild, male gorillas average 180 kg, with females often almost half that weight. Males are usually larger than females, reaching weights up to 275 kg in captivity. Western gorillas have a slightly more brown/grey coat color with shorter hair and are usually slightly smaller than mountain gorillas ( G. This coloration pattern has resulted in older males being known as "silverbacks". Generally, the hair on the back and rump of older males grows grey and is lost with age. Coarse, dark hair covers the entire body except for the face, ears, hands, and feet. Western gorillas have large jaw muscles and broad, strong teeth. Facial features include short muzzles, a prominent brow ridge, large nostrils, and small eyes and ears. Western gorillas are exceptionally large and powerful primates. ( "Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia '99 CD-ROM", 1999 Deblase and Martin, 1981 MacDonald, 1987) ( Deblase and Martin, 1981 MacDonald, 1987 Wilson and Reeder, 1993 Deblase and Martin, 1981 MacDonald, 1987 Wilson and Reeder, 1993 Deblase and Martin, 1981 IUCN, 2008 MacDonald, 1987 Wilson and Reeder, 1993)Īfrica's tropical secondary forests, where the open canopy allows much light to reach the forest floor, provide the best habitat for western gorillas. Gorilla gorilla diehli, eastern lowland gorilla, is found in a small part of the Nigerian/Cameroon border in the upper drainage of the Cross River. gorilla, western lowland gorilla, occurs in Cameroon south to the Congo River and east to the Oubangi River. Western or lowland gorillas inhabit the forests of equatorial Africa from the western lowlands near the Cameroon coast through the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Angola, and possibly the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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