The Mountain Gorilla

The gorilla is the largest of all primates. It is a peaceful, family-oriented, plant-eating animal. Older, adult male gorillas are also called Silverbacks, because of the almost-silver colored fur that grows down their backs when they reach "maturity" at 13 years old. Gorillas are intelligent animals and have even learned simple human sign language in captivity!


The Mountain Gorilla has longer and darker hair than any other gorilla species. It is also the largest of all gorillas. Although it can climb trees, the Mountain Gorilla likes to be on the ground and lives with a troop of 30 other gorillas. If humans have fingerprints, then gorillas have nose prints; it is said that no two gorilla noses are alike! In fact, researches have photographed gorillas' noses while in the wild to help them identify individual gorillas!

Gorillas LOVE to eat. It's their favorite activity. A male gorilla can eat as much as 75 pounds of vegetation a day, while a female can eat as much as 40 pounds a day. Gorillas need this amount of food to help them move their huge size.

For unknown reasons, the Mountain Gorilla is naturally afraid of certain reptiles. They are also afraid of water and will cross streams only if they can do so without getting wet.

A CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES, there are only 700 Mountain Gorillas left in the world. Some reasons for their few numbers:

1. Hunting/Poaching - Mountain Gorillas have been killed for their heads, hands and feet, which are sold to collectors. Infant gorillas are captured and sold to zoos, researchers and people who want them as pets!

2. Habitat loss - People's need for more land and food means lesser trees and lesser land for the Mountain Gorilla to live in.

3. Disease - Humans and gorillas are similar enough that gorillas can also get the same diseases as humans, especially in places where tourists visit the gorillas in their natural habitat.

4. War and civil unrest - In central Africa, many wars and civil unrest put the Mountain Gorilla directly in the middle of both sides.

Mountain Gorilla Fast Facts
Scientific Name: Gorilla Bteringei Beringei
Type: Mammal
Diet: Herbivore
Height: 4 to 6 feet
Weight: 300 to 485 pounds
Range: Uganda, Congo, Rwanda
Diet: roots, shoots, fruits, pulp, tree bark

To make an origami model of the Mountain Gorilla, click here or here.