Western Lowland Gorilla

Scientific Name: Gorilla gorilla gorilla

Irish Name: Gorilla ísealchríche thiar

IUCN Status: Critically Endangered

Western lowland gorilla’s, the subspecies of gorilla at Dublin Zoo, are large primates with black skin and hair, which covers the whole body excluding the face, ears, palms and soles of feet. Males are larger than females and grow silver hair on their back when they are the dominant male which gives them the name ‘silverbacks’.

The western lowland gorilla is the smallest subspecies of gorilla and originate from the mountainous rainforests of West Central Africa.

Western Lowland Gorilla

The western lowland gorilla is the smallest subspecies of gorilla and originate from the mountainous rainforests of West Central Africa.

General Information

Where do they live? (Natural habitat)

Lowland forests and swamps in Angola, Cameron, Central African Republic, Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

How long do they live for?

35 years wild, around 55 in zoos.

What do they eat?

Gorillas love to eat—it’s their favourite activity! An adult male will eat up to 18 kilograms of food each day; that is equal to the weight of over 100 bananas. Their diet includes fruit, seeds, leaves, stems, bark, shoots, roots, petioles, bracts, vine tendrils, invertebrates and earth.

Group Name

A group of gorillas living together is called a “troop.” There can be 5 to 30 gorillas in one troop.

Zoo Location

African plains

Animal Class

Mammalia

Animal Order

Primates

Fun Facts

Piggy-backs

A baby gorilla can cling to the fur on his mom’s back for a ride, leaving the mother’s hands free for walking.

The Infamous Silverback

The adult male who leads the troop is known as the ‘silverback’ - as he has grey hair on his back. He is almost twice the size of an adult female, weighing anything from 130 to 230 kilograms.

Nose-prints

No two gorilla noses are alike. The ‘nose-prints’ of gorillas are as distinctive as human fingerprints — no two are identical.

Largest Primate

Gorillas are the largest of all primates—the group of animals that includes lemurs, monkeys, orangutans, chimpanzees, and humans.

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Family Life

A troop is led by a strong, experienced male known as a "silverback." His job is a big one. He is responsible for the safety and well being of the members of his troop. The silverback makes all the decisions, such as where the troop will travel for food each day, when they will stop to eat or rest, and where they will spend the night.

Baby name

Infant

Gestation period

8.5 months

Number of young at birth

Weight at birth

2 - 3 kg

Age at maturity

10-12 years old, fully mature silverback at 18 years

Adult male name

Dominant male is called a silverback

Size male adult

1.8m standing up right. 270-140kg

Size female adult

1.5m up right. 130-90 kg

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Conservation

IUCN status

Western lowland gorillas are classified as 'critically endangered' in the wild by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to poaching, disease (e.g. Ebola virus), habitat change and destruction and climate change drying their native regions.

Current population estimate

There is an estimated 310,000 western lowland gorillas in the wild but the numbers are dropping by 2.7% annually.

Threats

The main threats to western lowland gorillas are poaching, disease (e.g. Ebola virus), habitat change and destruction and climate change due to drying of their native regions.

What is Dublin Zoo doing?

In 2010, Dublin Zoo began supporting the Mbeli Bai Study in the Republic of Congo. This project has been collecting valuable long-term data on gorillas in Mbeli Bai in the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park since 1995. The Mbeli Bai study has developed into a prominent research site with the largest and longest-running data set on western lowland gorillas available and an impressive track record of scientific publications. The study provides an example of how research can ensure conservation and safeguard wildlife and their habitats.

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