To scare unwanted gorillas away, he beats his chest with cupped hands to make a loud noise, screams, bares his teeth, and then charges forward. Gorillas are generally peaceful creatures, but sometimes a younger male from another troop challenges the silverback. After their nap, the gorillas eat again until bedtime, when they make yet another nest, either on the ground or in a tree, for a good night’s sleep. After a morning of munching, each adult gorilla gathers leaves, twigs, and branches to make a day nest for resting while the youngsters play. After all, the troop doesn’t want to deplete its food source! Each morning the silverback leads his troop to a new area where food is plentiful. The silverback makes all the decisions, such as where the troop travels for food each day, when they stop to eat or rest, and where they spend the night.Ī gorilla troop doesn’t stay in the same place for more than a day.

He is responsible for the safety and well being of the members of his troop. Male gorillas between 8 and 12 years old are called “blackbacks,” as they won’t become silverbacks until they are 12 to 15 years old.Ī group of gorillas living together is called a “troop.” There can be 5 to 30 gorillas in one troop, led by a strong, experienced male known as a 'silverback.' His job is a big one. This food is scattered all about the exhibit, giving the gorillas plenty of opportunities to hunt for their meals. Unlike chimpanzees, gorillas don’t use tools to get those termites instead, they just smash the termite mound to get the tasty insects living inside! At the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park, our gorillas are fed a variety of produce and browse material six times a day, as well as special treats like Cheerios and Wheat Chex cereals. Gorilla food includes leaves, stems, fruits, seeds, roots, ants, and termites. The big toe of a gorilla’s foot is opposable, like our thumb, to help it grab food or climb trees. Strong jaws help the gorilla chew tough stems. A gorilla’s large stomach can hold the bulky food it eats. Strong jaws and impressive teeth help the gorilla chew tough stems.Ĭan you imagine waking up each morning surrounded by food? Almost everything a gorilla eats is plant material, so life in the forest is like living in a huge restaurant! And gorillas love to eat-it’s their favorite activity! An adult male eats up to 40 pounds (18 kilograms) of food each day. The gorilla’s fibrous scat acts as rich fertilizer for the forest, and seedlings sprout from it rapidly, making gorillas important forest regenerators.Īn adult male eats up to 40 pounds (18 kilograms) of food each day. Like all great apes (except humans), gorillas require rainforests to make their living, and the forest depends upon them, too. Their arms are much longer than their legs, and gorillas can use the backs of their fingers like extra feet when they walk. Although they are able to stand upright, gorillas prefer to walk using their hands as well as their legs.

Many people like to compare gorillas with humans, but there are several differences. They are the largest of all primates-the group of animals that includes monkeys, lemurs, orangutans, chimpanzees, and humans. But the truth is, they’re peaceful, family oriented, plant-eating primates that live in complex social groups.

They seem to be forever typecast as the heavy. Gentle giants. Ever since King Kong first gave Fay Wray that unexpected lift to the top of the Empire State Building in 1933, Hollywood has gone ape depicting the gorilla as perfect monster material.

Baby silverback gorilla