Mountain Gorilla - Endangered Animals - Animal Fact Guide

The mountain gorilla, a large, strong ape inhabiting Africa’s volcanic slopes, has few natural predators.

Silverback mountain gorilla on Mt. Sabinyo in Parc National des Volcans (Volcanoes National Park) in Rwanda, Africa. Photo by ChristineEichin / iStock.com.

Yet due to detrimental human activity, such as poaching, civil war, and habitat destruction, the mountain gorilla, a subspecies of the eastern gorilla, has become endangered.

Their habitat has been reduced to a just few protected national parks in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Rwanda.

Mountain gorillas are as shy as they are strong. But when threatened, they can be aggressive. They beat their chests and let out angry grunts and roars.

Group leaders will charge at the threat. Mothers will fight to the death to protect their young.

Fully-grown male mountain gorillas can weigh up to 180 kg (400 lb.). Females weigh half that at about 90 kg ( 200 lb.).

Is a Mountain Gorilla a Monkey?

Mountain gorillas are not monkeys. They are a kind of primate called an ape.

Apes are different from monkeys because they have no tails, broader chests, and greater intelligence. Other apes include humans, orangutans, bonobos, gibbons, and chimpanzees. [Read more about the difference between monkeys and apes.]

Silverbacks

Male mountain gorillas develop a silver stripe on their backs when they get older. That’s why mature males are referred to as silverbacks.

Silverback mountain gorilla in in Parc National des Volcans (Volcanoes National Park) in Rwanda. Photo by VV-pics / iStock.com.

Aside from the silver stripe on their backs, male mountain gorillas are distinguished from females because they have a crest of fur on their heads.

Both genders have similar thick black hair covering their body. Their thick hair keeps them warm in cold mountain temperatures.

Social Life

Mountain gorillas live in groups of up to 30. The group, or troop, is led by a single alpha male, an older silverback.

The oldest males of the group are at least 12 years old. These troops also include several younger males, adult and juvenile females, and infants.

In addition to providing protection to group members, silverbacks maintain order and decide all activities within their troop. They schedule feeding trips, resting time, and travel. They also father the majority of the young in the group.

What Mountain Gorillas Eat

Mountain gorillas are omnivores. Around 85% of their diet is made up of vegetation, including plants, leaves, roots and shoots. But they also eat snails, ants, worms and larvae.

Mountain Gorilla Reproduction

Female mountain gorillas can produce young beginning at age 10. They carry one or two babies at a time and give birth after a 8.5-month gestation period.

In general, they will bear between 2-6 offspring in a lifetime.

Mountain gorilla mother holding her three day old baby in her arms in the Virunga Mountains, Rwanda. Photo by erwinf / iStock.com.

Newborn gorillas weigh about 1.8 kg (4 lb.) at birth. They are as weak and uncoordinated as human babies.

For the first four years of their lives, they get around by clinging to their mothers backs. By 3.5 years of age, the young gorillas start the same diet as mature mountain gorillas.

Conservation Status

Mountain gorillas are considered endangered by IUCN’s Red List. Threats include loss of habitat due to human encroachment, poaching, and illegal wildlife trade.

What You Can Do to Help

To help, you can make donations to the International Gorilla Conservation Program. You can also support the Gorilla Fund International, set up by conservationist Dian Fossey.

Mountain Gorilla Range

Mountain gorillas live in protected national parks in two regions of Africa. One group of gorillas lives in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. The other group is spread over three national parks in the Virungas mountain region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Rwanda.

Gorilla Resources

• Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International
• African Wildlife Foundation’s Mountain Gorilla Page
• Kid’s Planet Mountain Gorilla Page
• National Geographic’s Mountain Gorilla Page

Quick Fact Sheet

Common Name(s): Mountain Gorilla

Scientific Name: Gorilla beringei beringei

Animal Type: mammal

Size: 1-2 m (4-6 ft.) tall

Weight: 90-180 kg (200-400 lb.)

Lifespan: 40 years

Conservation Status: Endangered

About the Author

P.A. Smith is a middle school Language Arts teacher. He is also a contributing editor of My House Rabbit.

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