Species Spotlight: Mountain Gorillas
Jul 28th, 2009 by wwftravel
By Mike Crowther
Conservationists estimate about 720 mountain gorillas survive in the wild in two locations in Central Africa: the Virunga range of volcanic mountains on the borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda, and the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda.
For more than 30 years, WWF has been working with our partners in the Congo Basin to protect the gorillas and their habitat against uncontrolled hunting, war, disease, habitat destruction and capture for the illegal pet trade.
Diet: Mainly vegetarian
Physical description: The mountain gorilla has longer hair, jaws and teeth than the lowland subspecies, but slightly shorter arms. Adult males grow a patch of silver hair on their back and hips, which has earned them the name ‘silverback.’
Interesting fact: A group of mountain gorillas usually consists of a single dominant silverback male, three adult females, and four or five offspring.
Join WWF’s Great African Primate Expedition, January 24-February 2, 2011.
