Facts about silverback gorillas; First of all, silverback gorillas are the male adult mountain gorillas who heads the gorilla family and cares for the family from being threatened. Moreover, a silverback is a strongest species with a stocky build, abroad chest, long, muscular arms and wide feet and hands. Their arms are longer than their legs.
In general, Gorillas are the land dwellers mammals that are found in the forest of East, Central and Western Africa. The fact is that, they are divided into two main subspecies the Eastern lowland gorillas and the western gorillas. The western gorillas are divided into two subspecies -the western lowland gorilla and cross river gorillas. The Eastern gorillas include the Mountain gorilla and the Eastern Lowland Gorillas ‘’ also known as Grauer’s Gorilla’’. And of all the gorilla’s subspecies, the Eastern lowland gorillas is the largest followed by the mountain gorillas. The cross River gorilla is the smallest amongst the gorilla types.
Currently the research shows that over 300,000 Western lowland gorillas as the largest, 5,000 Eastern lowland gorillas, around 1065 mountain gorillas individuals and less than 400 Cross river gorillas. All the gorilla species are considered critically endangered by the international Union for Conservation of Nature ‘’IUCN’’. Although their number have reduced in the last century due to threatening ;poaching the bushmeat, human diseases, habitat destruction many more.
Mountain gorillas are found in three countries that is Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo. Uganda can be encountered in two national parks Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga Gorillas national park both found in southwestern region of Uganda approximately 8 to 9hours, Rwanda in Volcanoes National Park and Congo in Virunga National Park. The biggest percentage of mountain gorillas that are left in the world are found in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest national park.
Below are the most interesting facts about silverback gorillas as high lightened;
They can live to over 40 years old.
The male gorillas grown between 8 -12 years are called blackbacks and from 12 years old they start developing a silver section of hair over their back and hips thus naming them silverback.
Silverback gorillas are close relatives to human DNA that shares around 98% of the same genes and are very intelligent animals.
They use tools to communicate. Some gorilla species those live in captivity at zoo have been taught to use sign language.
A silverback gorilla can lift up around 1,810 kilograms on a bench press while a well-trained man can carry around 401.5 kilograms. More so, the research shows that a gorilla can lift up 27 times their full body weight.
A silverback gorilla can move up to 40 kilometers per hour that’s slightly faster than younger apes.
Life span of Silverback; Size; Height
Gorillas live in the groups of families led by a silverback. More so about a silverback are distinguished by a grayish white hairline around the back and shoulders.
A male gorilla that is too old to be a juvenile but too young to be a silverback is referred to as a blackbacks.
A silverback is much larger than a female gorilla. And when we compare a female silverback gorilla has a larger head body and can weigh up to 270 kilograms.
A male gorilla becomes an adult at age of about 8 years of age. This can be their right time to separate from the group and join other males though they are still referred to as blackbacks. They become fully grown up at age of about 12 to 13 years of age to become silverback. At this grown up age it’s when the hair grows down their back and across the shoulder becomes whitish or greyish in color.
The mature silverback will live close to a particular group and attempt to dethrone the dominant silverback as soon as he is strong enough. If he fails to dethrone a leader of a particular gorillas group, he will just decide to seal females from that group to form his own.
It is well known that some males can’t attempt to leave their original group not until, they are maturity. They will stay loyal to the dominant silverback and help protect the group from intruders. This is commonly done with great mountain gorillas and very rare with western lowland gorillas.
In gorilla families it is very rare to find several silverback gorillas, its only one dominant silverback. Note, the dominant silverback is the leader of the group and has the authority.
The silverback is one who determines what to eat, rest and one entitled to mate with all the females in the group. Gorilla mating is often initiated by the females upon reaching maturity.
A dominant silverback is the one controls a group of about 5 to 35 individuals. A gorilla group comprises several females, juveniles, infants and some adult males. The female gorillas choose to leave the family upon reaching maturity to avoid mating with the father.
Size &Strength –Silverback gorilla?
Note, a fully grown up silverback gorilla weights twice of adult man. Male gorillas still weight around 9 times stronger than an adult male. Their body weighs more strength because of robusticity meaning a higher ratio of muscle mass. Whereas no fight has been recorded between an adult male and a silverback gorilla and it is obvious who the winner will be, Facts about silverback gorillas.
An angry silverback would beat the man to a pulp.
Are silverback gorillas aggressive?
The dominant silverback gorilla lead by charisma, meaning he is always peaceful and rarely uses force. A silverback gorilla only become aggressive when they are threatened or intruders who may come from other gorilla groups, very stubborn or animals like leopards or human visiting a group that is not habituated.
If a silverback tends to recognizes a threat from another group, he will first attempt to warn off the intruder by standing up while beating up his chest. He will start tearing up plants and throwing it at the intruder while making a deafening sound.
When fight definitely, silverback tries a lot to defend his group and mostly infants to the death.
What do silverback feed on?
In general Silverback gorillas consists a main diet of fruits, shoots and leaves as well as termites, ants and some insects.
Mountain gorilla’s silverback gorillas feed on the main diet of stems and leaves. Also fungi, flower and bark.
Where to see silverback gorillas?
However, silverback gorillas are found in the dense forest of East, Central and Western Africa. The lowland gorillas can be sighted in forest and swamps along the Congo river basin. Then mountain gorillas live in the Virunga conservation region and tropical rainforest of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. More then, if you want to encounter wild Eastern lowland gorillas, you have to visit Maiko National Park, Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Itombwe Massif , the Usala forest and Tayna Gorilla Reserve.
The western lowland gorillas are bigger in number and widespread in the country of Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Angola, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Republic of the Congo.
Mountain gorillas are found in Mgahinga gorilla and Bwindi Impenetrable forest national park in Uganda, the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Virunga National Park in Congo.
How to see silverback gorillas in their nature inhabits?
You need to acquire a gorilla permits and each country has its outstanding cost of a gorilla permit charged per person. Uganda gorilla permits costs USD700 per person per trek, Rwanda gorilla permits costs USD1,500 per person per day and Congo gorilla permits sounds cheap at a fee USD400 per person per trek.
