Gorillas are the largest primates currently in existence and they are one of the animals closest to humans genetically, since 98% of their DNA is the same as ours, a fact truly amazing.
They can weigh 200 kilograms and their height sometimes reaches 1.75 meters, another surprising characteristic of gorillas is that they harbor another important similarity with human beings, each gorilla has unique fingerprints.
Due to their characteristics, these primates arouse great curiosity in us, which is why in this article on our site we talk about gorilla feeding.
Gorilla Habitat
An animal's habitat directly interferes with its feeding, which is why it is important to know the distribution and environment of gorillas.
Gorillas live mainly in Africa but inhabit very diverse areas, hence they are considered as Eastern and Western species. On the African continent you can search for one environment or another:
- Low altitude areas: In these areas gorillas inhabit forests and environments near swamps where they can find many trees, fruits and sheets.
- High Altitude Areas: These are mountainous regions located at a higher altitude, where food is scarcer, but it is also smaller the group of gorillas that inhabits this environment.
Gorillas don't stay in the same place for more than a day, but they do have well-defined migration patterns.
What do gorillas eat?
Gorillas have a robust structure and very sharp teeth, due to these traits many people think that these primates feed on meat, but nothing is further from the truth, gorillas are herbivores.
Most of the gorillas' diet consists of fruits, leaves, shoots, branches and berries, however, they can to ingest small insects, but this contribution only represents 1-2% of their diet.
In some places of residence the gorilla has approximately 200 different types of plants, fruits and trees from which to feed, thus being able to diversify the food it obtains.
Use of tools to obtain food
Another important characteristic that should be highlighted in the feeding of gorillas is that they use various tools to obtain their food, this being another characteristic of human beings.
When gorillas go in search of food they use sticks to measure the depth of the water if they have to cross a swamp and they also use stones to tear some fruits and obtain their pulp.
Another similarity to humans is that gorillas seem to need different types of nutrients, such as fiber, sugar, protein, and water, which they bring to their mouths joining their hands as if it were a bowl.
The gorilla, a primate with a big appetite and responsibility
A gorilla can eat 18 kilos of food a day, for this reason it spends much of the day eating, because he has a big appetite, a very large stomach and a really fast digestive system.
Despite its great appetite and desire for food, the gorilla behaves responsibly as it will never run out of food in a certain area, hence his migratory habit.
