They do not reach maturity until they are about 12 years old. Male Mountain gorillas continue to grow both in size and weight past the age of 6 years old. Female mountain gorillas give birth for the first time at about the age of 10 years old and will have offspring every four years or more.įemale Mountain gorillas mature at about age 6 and cease to grow taller, although they continue to gain weight slowly until they reach weights of 113 – 136 kilograms (250 – 300 pounds) at ages of 10 to 11 years. During a 40 – 50 year life span, a female Mountain Gorilla might have only 2 – 6 living offspring. This slow reproduction makes this species even more threatened. Mountain gorillas have a slow rate of reproduction. At age six they are about 1.2 metres (4 feet) tall and weigh about 68 kilograms (150 pounds). Juveniles of both male and female gorillas increase in size and weight at similar rates for the first six years.
During this stage, both male and female gorillas have thick black hair and black skin. Young male and female gorillas are classed as juvenile between the ages of about 3 and 6. Gorilla infants are weaned at 2.5 to 3 years of age. Infant gorillas normally stay with their mother for 3 to 4 years and mature at around 11 to 12 years old. Gorilla infants are breast feed for about 12 months. Baby gorillas are carried around by their mothers and begin to walk after 30 – 40 weeks. A baby gorilla is born weighing 1.8 – 2 kilograms (4 – 4.4 pounds) after a gestation period of 251 – 295 days. Fights for access to females among dominant silverbacks and lone males are intense and may result in death.Īdult female gorillas give birth to one baby about every 4 years although a surviving infant is produced only every 6 to 8 years due to high infant mortality in the first three years of life. Once a male gorilla has established a group, he will most likely stay with that group for life unless he is ousted by another male gorilla.
About half of all male gorillas leave their natal groups at puberty and travel alone or with other subordinate male gorillas until they establish their own group. Mountain Gorilla males mature later than females and do not breed until they reach 15 to 20 years of age. A silverbacks group normally includes a sub-adult male gorilla or two and a few female gorillas and their young. The mature male gorilla is called a ‘silverback’ because the hair on a males back turns from black to silvery grey as he matures. A typical Mountain Gorilla group is led by the biggest and strongest mature male gorilla. Mountain Gorillas are highly social and live in relatively stable, cohesive groups held together by long-term bonds between adult male mountain gorillas and female mountain gorillas.
Remarkably strong, the mountain gorilla has a short trunk and a broad chest and shoulders. Of the five sub-species of gorilla, the mountain gorilla is one of the rarest. Mountain Gorillas have long, silky black coats, a large body with hairless face, palms, soles and chest. Mountain Gorillas can be identified by nose prints unique to each individual, just like other gorillas. Mountain Gorillas have adapted to a life on the ground more than any other non-human primate and their feet most resemble those of humans. Mountain Gorillas have longer and darker hair than other gorillas, enabling them to live at high altitudes and travel into areas where temperatures drop below freezing. Mountain Gorillas Mountain Gorillas (Gorilla Beringei Beringei) are found in the jungles of Zaire, Rwanda and Uganda and particularly in the Virunga Mountains.
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