Many people all over the world live their home countries and go for gorilla safari adventures in either Uganda, Rwanda or Congo for the experience got though the act known as gorilla trekking. People from most countries visit these apes because of the information they gather from friends about the gorillas but for today here a the facts about mountain gorillas.

Gorillas scientifically known as (family Hominidae) are regarded as the closest living relatives of humans sharing almost 98% of human DNA. Gorillas are one of the four species of great apes the other; three are chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans. They are totally very different from monkeys for a wide range of reasons. Don’t have tails and have much larger and more developed brains, they are larger weighing to up to300 to 425 pounds, walk upright for a longer period of time, though they prefer to do so on their knuckles. Similar to humans, gorillas have 10 fingers and 10 toes, small ears on the side of their heads, 32 teeth and forward-looking eyes. And their life span is bout 53 years in captivity.

Like humans every gorilla has a sole fingerprint, they have senses very comparable to ours, including sight, smell hearing, taste, and touch. And they are very intelligent and can learn extremely complex tasks.

Like all great apes, gorillas have arms that are longer than their legs and tend to walk on all four limbs at certain times a movement that is called knuckle walking. Every gorilla has a unique fingerprint just like humans. They have a distinctive body shape and their bellies are larger than their chests this is because of their swollen intestines, which are necessary to digest the very bulky and fibrous vegetation that they eat. Although gorillas are normally described as aggressive, but if habituated they are so friendly like Uganda and Rwanda mountain gorillas can be tracked peacefully because they are habituated and can be seen in their natural setting with out any harm caused to human.

There are several species of gorillas the western lowland gorillas this subspecies are mainly found in Gabon, Cameroon, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, and Central African Republic. It’s of its kind as they split during the day and come at night to nest unlike its counterpart the Eastern gorillas which feed and move together. The western gorillas are manly threatened by humans who normally hunt them for bush meet they also have shorter hair and longer arms. The other group is the cross river gorillas scientifically known as (gorilla diehli) they are found in Nigeria and Cameroon. This kind of sub species tend to differ from their count parts as they have a different shaped skull. They are friendly and tend to live in groups led by a dominant silverback

Mountain gorillas

(Gorilla beringei beringei) commonly known as mountain gorillas is one of the two subspecies of the eastern gorilla. They are so endangered and there are only two populations. One is found in Mgahinga National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in south-west Uganda  and by the time of writing there are approximately 380 individual at the park and many tourist flop in to enjoy watching them in their natural setting. The other population is found in the Virunga volcanic mountains of Central Africa, within two National Parks; Volcanoes, in north-west Rwanda and Virunga in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). These sub species are regarded as the largest subspecies of gorilla an adult can weigh up to 300 to 425 pounds and upright standing height of 150 cm (59 in) usually weigh twice as much as the females making them the world’s largest primate and they are fewer than 880 individuals left in the world As of November 2012 estimates and Rwanda is the premier destination to track them. The Virunga volcanoes are a drive of 3 hours from Kigali, Rwanda’s capital and its largest city. And the habituated gorilla groups are a little easier to reach from the Rwandan side, than those living in the same mountain range in Uganda and the DRC (just across the border).

These species differ from other species as they have longer and thicker fur enabling them to live in colder temperatures. An adult Male develops the characteristic silver fur on their back that gives them the name ‘silverback’. Their back hair is shorter than on most other body parts, and their arm is longer than its legs un like human and it moves by Knuckle walking like the common chimpanzee but an like the banobo and monkey species. They are capable of climbing into fruiting trees if the branches can carry its weight, and it’s competent of running up to 6 m (20 ft). Gorillas move every day for food and for exploration they are most active between 6:00am and 6:00 pm most these hour is spent eating as large quantities of food are needed to sustain its massive bulk. These giant gorillas’ forages in early morning, they rest during the late morning and around midday, and in the afternoon it forages again before resting at night. Each gorilla has to make a nest it’s going to sleep in every evening except young ones which sleep with their mothers until when they are about 3 years of age, and even when they start construct theirs, they still stay near their mothers. Mountain gorillas never sleep in the same place two nights in a row! They make a new one when they sleep in the afternoon and before they sleep for the night.

Reproduction

Mountain gorillas have a slow rate of reproduction, and  a female mountain gorilla is ready to reproduce for the first time when she is about 8-10 years and will have new offspring every four or five years. And a male silver back normally brings to bleed at the age of between the ages of 12 or 15when he is in charge of its group the fertilization and the mating seasons is throughout the year. The female produces a single young and case of twins are rarely heard. The gestation period is a bout 8 months  and during this period a female leaves a group and may be join a another group or join a lonely sliver buck. After conceiving she must first leave the safety of her own troop and find another troop or a lone silverback to live with. A female gorilla will give birth to an average of 3-5 babies during her lifetime. A baby gorillas are weak and tiny weighing at least 3-4 pounds. Their movements are as ill at ease as those of human infants, although their development is roughly twice as fast, young gorillas learn to creep at about 2 months and they normally walk around 8-9 month. It suckles for approximately one year Mother Gorillas normally nurse their babies for about 3 years until when the baby become more independent. If you want to come across gorillas you will see it by their nests where they would have slept the previous night. If they have been in an area recently, it may smell like sweat from humans.  Gorillas normally leave a peaceful life always conflicts can occur when troops interact, particularly if a solitary male contacts a new group.

Habitat

Mountain gorillas of Rwanda live in tropical forests others in the extreme elevation of the mountain.  They live in a small family groups known as troops normally between 12-30 members and a true gorilla troop includes one dominant silverback a male leader which is always between 12-15 years of age, one or two immature male, three or four adult females and three to six young offspring under eight years of age. The male gorilla is responsible for the fertilization of all males in the troop. It also takes on the responsibility of detecting danger he fights to protect the troop even if it means loosing his life he does so for the good of the troop. The other males in the troop will also fight along side the dominant male to protect their families. Young male gorillas usually leave their family group when they are about 11 years old and have their own family group by the age of 15 years old. Young female gorillas join a new group at about 8 years old. Mountain Gorillas have strong attachments to members of their own group and even when groups meet and mingle and then subsequently part, each animal tends to remain with its respective unit.

Diet
mountain gorillas are herbivores they most of the time eat plant material and animal of this size need a lot of food, they eat a lot. They eat leaves, fruits, seeds, tree bark, plant bulbs and flowers. They also eat termites and aunts to supplement their diet. They have been known to eat various parts of over 200 different plant species. They rarely drink water. The average adult male eats approximately 50 pounds of food a day

Threats to mountain gorilla

Habitat losses since many people have moved into areas near mountain gorillas they have cleared land for agriculture and livestock. In the year 2004, for example, illegal settlers cleared 3,700 acres of gorilla forest in Virunga National Park. Locals also generate income by cutting down trees to create charcoal. Gorillas move to find food and that can be a problem when the areas that they have to travel become smaller and smaller.

Poaching, mountain gorillas are also hunted for bush meat or pet trade others are caught and harmed by snares set for other animals. During the 1994 Rwandan genocide and a wicked ongoing civil war in Congo, Virunga National Park, over 200 gorillas, has become a battleground for militia groups and the Congolese army this also contribute to their loss. Mountain gorillas, are also affected by climate change, which has the potential to impact gorillas directly by altering their habitat,

Rules for tracking mountain gorillas:

For those who are planning to go for gorilla tracking safari in Rwanda, the following information would apply

• Do not surround the gorillas but remain in a tight group.

• To reduce possible transmission of human diseases, visitors are asked to maintain a distance of 7m (about 22 feet) from the gorillas. If you are sick with a cold, flu or other contagious illness, please do not visit the gorillas.

• Flash photography is strictly forbidden
• Leave a distance of at least 5m between you and the gorillas. if they approach you move back slowly
• Do not eat or smoke with in 200m of the gorillas
• DO NOT leave rubbish in the park. Whatever you bring into the forest should be carried back out with you.

• Should you need to cough, cover your mouth and turn away from the gorillas.

• No person under 15years of age is allowed to track the gorillas
• Sometimes the gorillas charge. Follow the guides example (crouch down slowly, do not look the gorillas directly in the eyes and wait for the animals to pass). Do not attempt to run away because that will increase the risk.
• Bury all human faeces in a hole dug at least 30cm deep and ensure that it is properly filled in afterwards.
• When with the gorillas avoid making sudden movements or making loud noises
• Maximum 8 visitors per group and viewing time is limited to one hour.
• If a gorilla should charge or vocalize at you, do not be alarmed, stand still, look away from the gorilla and follow your guide’s directions