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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re talking about gorillas. You can subscribe to keep up with new content. Nick Opalewski sent us this request from our facebook page; thanks, Nick! The name gorilla is supposedly of Greek origin and means something along the lines of “a tribe of hairy women”. While these primates are certainly hairy, having only their faces, ears, hands, and feet exposed, there are definitely males within their midst.

Gorillas are actually the largest living primates in the world and male gorillas top the charts weighing in at an average of 400 pounds (180 kilograms) with females only reaching about half that weight. Only. As if 200 pounds of gorilla isn’t a wonder! There are currently two accepted species of gorillas and four subspecies, and they are all found in limited ranges throughout central Africa. All gorillas are considered critically endangered both due to poaching for meat as well as habitat loss. Humans are some of their only threats, though young gorillas are predated naturally by birds of prey and potentially leopards. Hey! Disney’s Tarzan maybe got something right!

The different species’ of gorillas are found in different habitats and show off slightly different appearances. The Eastern gorillas are also known as mountain gorillas as they live towards the highest peaks of mountain forests where nightly temperatures can drop below freezing. Thankfully for them, however, they come equipped with long shaggy hair. I’m digging the sasquatch vibe, ladies.

Western gorillas, who are also called lowland gorillas, are probably the more well known of the gorillas because these are the species most commonly found in zoos around the world. Lowland gorillas live in dense secondary forests with open canopies as well as rainforest and even swampy habitats. These separate habitats bring about different feeding behaviors in their gorilla inhabitants, though, generally speaking, gorillas are considered herbivores. They do take the occasional arthropod, too, but for the most part they eat plant materials like fruits, berries, leaves, shoots, roots, and more. They spend their days eating and resting in nests, they spend their nights resting in nests. They like making nests. In a tree, on the ground, doesn’t matter, but they make a new nest each time!

Gorillas live in family groups that average around six members. Usually these are headed by a single dominant male who has breeding rights to all the females in his troupe, though in some cases more than one may be present. Typically these dominant males are referred to as silverbacks because as male gorillas age they develop a grey sheen to their backside, however, we think it’s important to note that all mature male gorillas sport this coloration, not just the dominant males.

Gorillas reach maturity at about ten years of age, though competition usually keeps males from breeding until they’re about fifteen. Males are often solitary, driven off from their parent’s group until they find females who have left their own parents’ groups. This is often how new groups are formed. Once formed, the male must protect his females and offspring from rivals.

Female gorillas gestate for about nine months and usually only give birth to one baby. The energy expense of raising twins often results in a mother abandoning one of the young… and Disney’s Tarzan falls apart again. Baby gorillas are dependent on their mother for about four years, though they’ll stay with their family group for many years after that. On average, gorillas can live to be forty years old, and there’s evidence that suggests they may mourn their lost group members.

If one of the most well known Gorillas, Koko, was alive today, she’d probably tell you to go learn more about these amazing animals because there’s so much we couldn’t cover in a single four minute video!

For more facts on gorillas, check out the links in the description! Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files!