Nutritional Aspects of the Diet of Wild Gorillas 155 gorillas at lower elevations in the Virungas eat different, more varied foods and more fruit than those at higher altitudes (McNeilage, 2001). Cross-river gorillas eat less fruit during periods of scarcity, than Western Lowland Gorillas. These gorillas do not eat much fruit but have flexible diets. What do gorillas eat? About 67% of the lowland gorillas diet is fruit, 17% is leaves, seeds, and stems and 3% is termites and caterpillars. Receive information about animals, environment, nature and our planet. 1. Where does the potto live? At some sites, western lowland gorillas have been known to break open termite nests and feed on the larvae. Gorillas are found in African region anview the full answer In the recent PLOS journal 2010, there was a recording of finding other monkey and antelope meat in western lowland Gorillas fecal samples. According to SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, Gorillas rarely drink water as they consume fleshy and juicy plant materials every day which is composed of 50% water contents anyway! Also, dirt helps them to neutralize the poisonous substances from plants they feed on. they eat leaves, stems buds, and fruits which have relatively low energy. 3. Female gorillas weigh 150 to 250 pounds. Mountain Gorillas got their name for a reason. They also eat wild berries if available. The live high in the steep mountain forests of four different national parks in Africa in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo. The vast majority of their diet contains leaves, shoots, stems, and other plant parts. Diet of Captive Gorillas Could Be Killing Them ... Zookeepers in Cleveland are now trying out a new diet, though it will take a generation to tell if it works. Adult gorillas can eat up to 30kg of food each day. Rest of their diet consists of: Fruits (2%) This process of eating soil or clay or ash is known as geophagy. In areas near human communities, gorillas are attracted by crops, which they can eat. But these cusps are a biological liability when it comes to eating hard objects, because they don't distribute force the way a lower, more rounded cusp would. Details are presented of the composition of the diet of eastern lowland gorillas, derived mainly from a study of their fresh trails and fecal analysis, during the course of an entire year in the tropical lowland forests of the Itebero region, Zaire. So we can confidently say that gorillas are our closest living relatives, followed by chimpanzees, orangutan, and bonobos. The life of a gorilla in controlled facilities is not ideal, of course, because they are not pets. Some subspecies have adapted to other kind of food in captivity. Eastern lowland gorillas’ diet is varied and differs every season. As mountain gorillas have a large body, they need more food as compared to humans. Plant foods, principally fruit, dominated the diet but insects were eaten regularly, and predation on at least three species of mammal occurred infrequently. Mountain gorillas rarely drink water because a large portion of their diet contains water. My kind are eaten by crocodiles and leopards. Fruits are the primary and essential food source of western lowland gorillas’ diet. Mountain Gorillas Diet – How Much do Mountain Gorillas Eat. The composition of the gorilla's diet varies by subspecies and seasonality. Where do gorillas sleep at night? The mountain gorillas live in high altitude mountain areas where fruit trees are less in numbers. As roaming herbivores, gorillas play a vital role in seed dispersal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorilla#Food_and_foraging, https://seaworld.org/animal-info/animal-infobooks/gorilla/diet-and-eating-habits/, http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/great_apes/gorillas/western_lowland_gorilla/index.cfm, Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress. Over an eight‐year period, a total of 174 food items were recorded for chimpanzees (Pan t. troglodytes) in the Lopé Reserve in central Gabon. A Silverback Gorilla is a mature male mountain gorilla weighing 300 to 400 pounds. Gorilla’s favorite plants are Galium, thistles, nettles, and celery. In the ecological pyramid, gorillas come under the secondary consumer bracket. A subspecies of western gorillas, the west coast gorillas live in the lowland wetlands of Central Africa, primary, secondary and montane forests. Yet these peaceful creatures are at critical risk because of humans this page, let s... 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