Gorillas are among the natural species that have frequently been misinterpreted by humans. We have long thought of gorillas as dangerous and violent apes, which is not the truth. In reality, gorillas are often timid and prefer to be alone. They are also sociable apes, living in groups of 5 to 30 individuals depending on the species. Gorillas are unique to Africa and typically inhabit lowland swamp forests, montane forests, and tropical rain forests.
How many species of gorillas exist in Africa?
There are only two species of gorillas that exist in the world today, and the tourists travel into Africa solely to see these gorgeous apes in their natural settings, which contributes significantly to the continent’s tourism business. The Western gorilla and the Eastern gorilla are the two species of gorillas. Both of these gorilla species have two gorilla subspecies.
Comparing Mountain Gorillas vs Lowland Gorillas
If you came across mountain gorillas vs lowland gorillas at the same time while on your gorilla safari, higher chances are that you won’t easily differentiate the 2 apes especially for first time trekkers.
Mountain gorillas and lowland gorillas are 2 distinct primate species sharing about 98.3 percent of their genetic DNA with humans thus making them our closest relatives after chimpanzees and the bonobos.
Physical Characteristics of Mountain Gorillas vs Lowland Gorillas
Mountain gorillas are bigger with longer darker hair and shorter arms than the lowland gorillas. Their (mountain gorillas) bodies are made in such a way that they adapted to their habitat. They range in mountainous areas with freezing temperatures. Lowland gorillas live in much warmer areas and do not require such thick fur.
In addition, mountain gorillas are typically heavier with an average mountain gorilla weighing about 200kg compared to an average lowland gorilla that weigh about 150kg. Mountain gorillas have larger nose, jaw and bigger teeth compared to lowland gorillas.
Social life of Mountain Gorillas vs Lowland Gorillas
Both mountain gorillas and lowland gorillas live in groups or families of about 30 members.
Mountain gorillas live in a group of 5 to 25 members usually led by a silverback, dominant male mountain gorilla vs lowland gorillas (western lowland gorillas) can live in a family of about 4 to 8 members. Although, lowland gorillas can live in larger groups, averaging more than 50 members with multiple silverbacks leading different families.
The social life of mountain gorillas is slightly different from their lowland counterparts, characterized by frequent interactions among group members. Lowland gorilla families are found to be much more dispersed and to travel less than mountain gorilla ones that mostly stick together with minimal individual activity.
Mountain gorillas are known to emit a strong odor from their glands under the arms mostly when they are stressed and lowland gorilla’s studies indicate that their scent communication doesn’t play a big role considering their culture in the wild.
Additionally, mountain gorillas groom each other for about 15 minutes every day whereas lowland gorillas don’t interact as often and so have much less wing grooming behavior.
Generally, gorillas are intelligent creatures with impressive communication abilities displaying about 25 distinct sounds; they use tools like chimpanzees do to perform different tasks.
Comparing the Habitat of Mountain Gorillas vs Lowland Gorillas
Mountain gorillas inhabit the mountains at elevations of 8,000 to 13,000 feet and can only be found in 3 countries; Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Lowland gorillas on the other hand live on the edges of rainforests and swamplands occasionally foraging for food on adjacent savannah grasslands. They can be found in D.R. Congo, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic, Gabon and Angola.
Mountain gorillas have adapted to harsher climate conditions as they stay in higher elevation zones which are usually cooler than their lowland counterparts. However, Lowland gorillas have been able to live in capture and can easily be relocated.
What is the Diet of Mountain Gorillas vs Lowland Gorillas?
Generally, gorillas are herbivores however; the western lowland gorillas depend on vines, stems, leaves, roots and about 100 distinct kinds of fruits. Occasionally, they feed on insects and some small reptiles. The mountain gorillas feed strictly on plant material like shoots, stems, flowers, tree barks, and leaves
Mountain gorillas have been also observed eating certain types of insects particularly in areas where there is limited foliage to eat.
All in all, they both feed on the same items only differentiated by the habitat as the lowland gorillas have got more food options compared to mountain gorillas.
In conclusion
Gorillas are highly sociable creatures that are not as scary as popular belief would have us believe. Gorilla trekking excursions are one approach to obtain a deeper knowledge of gorillas and why we should all work together to save these primate species for future generations.
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