Western Lowland Gorilla

Gorillas are herbivores, eating mainly juicy stemmed plants, but also consuming leaves, berries, ferns and fibrous bark.

Currently found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic (CAR), mainland Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria and Republic of Congo. Until recently, the core population had an almost continuous distribution from southern CAR to the Congo River and west to the coast.

Tropical forests with an open canopy allowing light to reach the forest floor.

Coarse, dark hair covers their body except for the face, ears, hands, and feet. Generally, the hair on the back and rump of older males grows grey and is lost with age. This coloration pattern has resulted in older males being known as "silverbacks".
Their hands are proportionately large with nails on all digits and very large thumbs. Western gorillas frequently stand upright, but walk using all four limbs, with hands curled and knuckles touching the ground. Walking this way requires long arms, and the arm span of gorillas is longer than their standing height.

Gorillas give birth to a single offspring, with twins being rare, every three to four years. Their gestation period is 255-265 days, or about eight and a half months.

Gorillas communicate using calls, facial expressions, physical postures and through touch.

Gorillas are generally peaceful, shy and amiable unless threatened. Male gorillas will charge toward perceived intruders, but rarely hit them. If the threat persists, they may charge again.
A troop of gorillas usually consists of one dominant male, many adult females and their young.