The Plight Of The Mountain Gorilla

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There are many Gorillas found all over the world, but there is a particular sub-species of Gorilla called the Mountain Gorilla or otherwise known by its scientific name: Gorilla Gorilla Beringei. This type of gorilla averages around the size of six-feet and weighs around three hundred to four hundred and twenty-five pounds. These vegetarians are commonly found in the Viruga Valcanic Mountains of Central Africa. The primates are further located within three national parks: Mgahinga, Southwest Uganda and Southwest Rwanda. These primates live in a habitat that consists of high altitude and thick forests with a dense herb layer. Due to the high altitude level, this gorilla is affected by climate change. These areas have distinct wet and dry seasons which are usually composed of tropical deciduous forests. These towering mammals’ diet consists of about one hundred and forty-two plant species (Stewart, 2003). About eighty-six percent of their diet is leaves, shoots and stems, seven percent is roots, three percent is flowers, two percent is fruit and the remaining two percent consists of ants, snails and grubs (Bonnett, 1986). The gorillas’ incredible strength allows them to easily break apart vegetation. They are rather fastidious when it comes to selecting what they consume and may only eat the leaves, pith, stalk or roots of the plant. They use their agile lips and hand dexterity to manipulate vegetation for the particular portion they would wish to deplete. The Mountain Gorillas do not over exploit for rapid replenishment to occur. The Silverbacks food intake is about forty pounds of herbage per day (Simon, 2000). Since there are low amounts of fruit to obtain, the Gorillas usually feast on things that are comprised of at lease fifty percent water so they do not need to worry about water intake. Gorillas are non-territorial and live in groups called

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