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• The largest of the living primates, gorillas are are ground-dwelling omnivores that inhabit the forests of Africa from the western lowlands near the Cameroon coast to an altitude of about 10,000 feet in the central highlands of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.

  There is some disagreement toward how many species and subspecies of gorilla exist, partly because they are rare and elusive, which makes them difficult to study.

• Fast Facts

  1. Life span: 35-40 years in the wild, up to 50 years in captivity
  2. Weight: 220-440 pounds
  3. Height: 4'7"-5'9"
  4. DNA is 97% identical to humans
  5. Have black or dark brown hair and no tails

• Behavior

  Gorillas live in social groups of about five to fifteen individuals, consisting of a dominant male, known as the silverback, who presides over the females and their young.

  Although generally peaceful and shy, male gorillas can become aggressive when their dominance is challenged and will often kill all the babies in a group that they did not sire.

  Gorillas are mainly vegetarian, subsisting on a diet of various leaves, roots and fruit, although they will eat small animals if given the chance.

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  Dead Gorilla Baby | Africa | Monkeys | Chimpanzee | Orangutan | Rhesus Monkey

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