Gorilla size and weight of a male. How long do gorillas live? detailed information

What is the largest monkey in the world? Today, the genus of gorillas belongs to the family of hominids, which includes humans. The largest monkey weighs 270 kilograms and is 2 meters tall. And despite her terrifying appearance, she has a rather peaceful disposition.

This article will focus on this monkey. Where does a gorilla live in the wild? What does it eat?

Division of monkeys by habitat

Biologists divided monkeys into 2 large groups- These are monkeys of the Old and New Worlds. They mainly differ in their habitat and some physiological characteristics.

Thus, the first group of monkeys has narrower noses, while the second group has surprisingly prehensile tails. In addition, the Old World monkeys live in Africa and Asia, while the New World monkeys live only in South and Central America. In Europe, in the southern part of Spain, there lives only one species of monkey - the barbary.

Gorilla: photo, description

Gorillas are the largest in the order of primates. The very first description of this animal was given in 1847 by missionary Thomas Savages from America.

The height of adult males can range from 1.65 to 2 meters. But, there is a statement by the famous Soviet zoologist I. Akimushkin that the height of one of the largest male mountain gorilla, who was killed by hunters at the beginning of the 20th century, was 2.32 meters.

The male's shoulders can reach one meter in width. The average weight of a male gorilla varies from 130 to 250 kg or more. And females have a body weight approximately 2 times less.

The body of gorillas, which have enormous strength, is massive, with well-developed muscles. They have both strong hands and powerful feet. They have wool dark color, and in adult males there is a silver stripe on the back. The eyebrow protrudes forward, the ratio of the length of the forelimbs to the length of the hind limbs is 6 to 5.

The gorilla is an animal that can stand up and walk on its hind legs, but mostly walks on all fours. Gorillas, like chimpanzees, when walking, rely not on the pads of the fingers and on the palms of the forelimbs, like many other animals, but on bent fingers (on the back side). Thanks to this, they keep the very sensitive skin on the inside of the hand intact when walking. The gorilla has a large head with a low forehead and a rather massive jaw protruding forward and a huge ridge above the eyes (photo below). The brain is approximately 600 cm3 in volume and consists of 48 chromosomes.

Nutrition

The main diet of gorillas is plant food: wild celery, nettle, bedstraw, bamboo shoots and pygeum fruits. Supplement to the main diet - fruits and nuts. Animal food (mostly insects) represents a small part of the menu.

As various mineral supplements they use certain types of clays, which compensate for the lack of salts in food. These monkeys can do without water, since juicy greens contain a sufficient amount of moisture. They avoid bodies of water and do not like rain.

Gorillas in nature live mainly in central and western Africa, in forests. There are also inhabited slopes of Virunga (a mountain of volcanic origin), covered with forest.

Moreover, they usually live in small groups consisting of 5-30 individuals: a male leader and several females with cubs.

Features of behavior

• In places where gorillas live, groups are formed in which a leader dominates, determining the daily routine: searching for food, choosing a place to sleep, etc.
• The life of these monkeys lasts quite a long time - up to 50 years.
• Females usually give birth to one baby, which stays with the mother until the next baby is born.
• Due to deforestation, which is the habitat of these animals, the number of gorillas is greatly reduced. In addition, poachers often hunt for them. There are few places left in the world where the gorilla lives.
• Gorillas tolerate captivity well, which is why they can be seen in many
• Monkeys are included in the list of dangerous animals on Earth.
• To assert authority, the leader performs a terrifying dance, which is only a threat. Even a very angry male often refrains from attacking. When attacking a person, which happens rarely, gorillas limit themselves to only small bites.

Gorilla aggression

Usually quarrels in gorilla families occur between females. When someone attacks the group, the males, as a rule, provide protection. At the same time, aggression mainly comes down to demonstrating its strength and intimidation: the gorilla, rushing at the enemy, stops and beats itself in the chest in front of him.

Among some tribes in Africa (where gorillas live), the wounds from the bites of these monkeys are considered the most shameful: this indicates that the person was running away and that he is a coward. It often happened that hunters from Europe, seeing a monkey rushing at them and killing it with a shot from a gun, then told their compatriots a fascinating story about a terrible and terrible animal.

Until the beginning of the 20th century, this idea of ​​the gorilla was quite widespread. But the strength of this species of ape, the male gorilla, should not be underestimated. There is a fact that even leopards try to avoid fights with him.

In conclusion about reproduction and attitude towards offspring

Where gorillas live, you can see a touching picture: a female mother cares for her baby. She acts as a loving and caring mother. The male represents a patient and calm father.

The gestation period for gorillas lasts up to 8.5 months. After the birth of the baby, whose weight is approximately 2 kilograms, the mother carries him, feeds and protects him. His life is completely dependent on the care of his mother until almost the age of three, after which he becomes an independent representative of the group.

Sexual maturity in females occurs between 10 and 12 years, and males mature at 11-13 years (in captivity this happens earlier). The female gives birth once every 3-5 years.

Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla)- the largest monkey of the family of apes of the primate order (Primates).

The height of adult males is up to 175 cm and more, arm span up to 260 cm, chest girth up to 152 cm, weigh 135-180 kg (in captivity up to 300 kg).

Females are much smaller (weigh 75-110 kg, in captivity up to 126).

The hair is black, brown on the crown, and gray on the back with age. The head is large, the eyebrows protrude strongly, the body is massive, the upper limbs are longer than the lower ones.

The similarities in body structure with humans are partly explained by the terrestrial way of life. The volume of the brain box is 500-600 cubic meters. cm (up to 752 cubic cm), the brain structure is close to the human brain. There are 48 chromosomes (humans have 46).

Gorillas are common in Equatorial Africa. 3 subspecies: the western lowland gorilla and the larger eastern ones - mountain and lowland. They live in tropical or mountain forests.

They live in small herds (5-30 individuals each), led by powerful males. They move on the ground on four limbs. Sometimes they climb trees. Plant food - fruits, berries, nuts.

At night they build nests on the ground or in trees. Gestation period is from 250 to 290 days: the newborn weighs about 2 kg. Life expectancy in the wild is 25-30 years. As a result of hunting, they were greatly exterminated; are under protection. Captivity is poorly tolerated and they rarely reproduce.

In Uganda, a French-Ugandan team of researchers discovered the remains of a large prehistoric ape. The found fragments, including a significant number of teeth and a piece of skin, allow us to confidently conclude that the monkey belongs to a hitherto unknown species.

Judging by the remains, the monkey must have reached the size of a female gorilla, that is, it was larger than all fossil monkeys known to science. According to a specialist from the French Museum of Natural History, the excavations suggest that "there were significant numbers of monkeys in Africa during this Miocene period, which promises further discoveries." The fossil, discovered in an area called Napak, was named Ugandapithecus major.

'Intelligent' gorilla puzzles primatologists

A young female gorilla, two and a half years old, would have lived in complete obscurity in one of small reserves in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), if by chance the park staff had not caught her doing a curious activity: a monkey was cracking oil palm nuts laid out on another stone with a stone in order to feast on the pulp.

For scientists studying the behavior of gorillas, this became a worldwide sensation. The fact is that using the “hammer and anvil” method is considered one of the most difficult techniques food obtaining by great apes, and such behavior has never before been recorded among gorillas.

The “dossier” of the smart gorilla, who received given name Itebero (named after the area where it was first discovered, taken from poachers).

It was determined that the monkey was not taught any tricks. But until now in primatology it was believed that the only ones capable of mastering the “hammer and anvil” techniques from the entire family of pongids are great apes- this is a chimpanzee.

Moreover, for this they need not even months, but years of sessions of copying human actions with constant contact with the trainer.

No one taught the Itebero in the tropical forests of Eastern Congo anything like this.

It follows, said Gottfried Homann, a primatologist at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig, that gorillas are smarter than previously thought.

Reports of the “intelligent” gorilla have prompted a response from scientists studying these animals in the neighboring country of the Republic of Congo.

American primatologist Thomas Breuer, who has been observing the national park Nuabale-Ndoki said that during all this time he only twice observed how his “wards” used improvised means to solve problems that arose.

One time, a gorilla used a log as a floating bridge to get to the other side of the river. Another time I tried to find out the depth of the pond with the help of a stick.

It is generally accepted that great apes are our closest relatives. It could be argued that it has been a long time since we came down from the trees, and that our digestive systems have had to adapt to new eating habits. But let's look at the facts: we still look strikingly similar to great apes, especially without hair. And inside we are built almost the same. It was recently discovered that the DNA of chimpanzees and humans is 98% identical.

When gorillas have the opportunity to choose their food, they prefer fresh fruits. If fresh fruits are not available, they supplement the diet with other plant foods. They eat neither meat nor dairy products. Some monkeys, such as chimpanzees, occasionally eat meat, but vegetation makes up the majority of their diet. Before you sympathize with gorillas, remember that they always eat their favorite food - as long as it is available. And the next time some supposed expert claims that your diet is deficient in certain important chemicals,

Think about the gorilla!

Think about why the gorilla is so much stronger than you. Why did people manage to survive even without fire, and even more so without vitamins? Call on common sense to help:

Rely on the instructions of the Creator!

You say: “If gorillas are so strong, why are they in danger of being exterminated?” For the same reason as thousands of other species. Because if man does not destroy their natural habitat, then he pollutes it.

I believe that all attempts to imagine what the diet of people should be according to Mother Nature’s design will lead to a single conclusion. FRUITS! This is what our closest relatives, who were not brainwashed, preferred to eat. And if we look at the facts, it turns out that we prefer them too!

Let's remember the jelly and ice cream that we loved so much as children. What would they taste like if there were no flavoring additives? Most likely none. And what did we flavor them with - pork, beef, lamb and turkey? No, strawberries, pineapples and vanilla. That is, fruits and other plants. What about the meat that we value so much, which we have to cook so carefully? If it really has a great taste, why do we add salt, pepper, gravy, garlic, pickles, sauces to it? Meanwhile, ripe fresh fruits are good on their own.

What are the sauces we use to improve the taste of meat? We serve apple sauce with pork, mint sauce with lamb, cranberry sauce with turkey, horseradish or mustard with beef, stuff chicken with onions and sage, eat pickles with cold meat - all these are fruits, berries, plants. What is added to milkshakes, soft drinks and alcoholic drinks to improve their taste? Strawberry, raspberry, banana, orange, lemon, pineapple, black currant, lime, etc.

We were led to believe that we add sauces and spices to improve the taste of the meat. But in fact, without these additives, meat has a bland and even unpleasant taste. If it tastes good, why change that taste with sauces?

Do you know of a seasoning with a stronger taste than garlic? Why don't we add salt, pepper or garlic to fruits? If a dish contains garlic, it has a garlicky flavor. But why is it needed there if the food is delicious without it?

The value of fruits is repeatedly reflected in our folk wisdom: “An apple a day - and you don’t need a doctor,” “they were so rich that they had fruit in their house, even when no one was sick in it.”

Remember what role the liquid component of food plays in the process of its digestion and absorption nutrients and waste disposal. No food satisfies this criterion better than fresh fruit. Fruits are much easier to digest than other foods. From the stomach they almost immediately pass into the intestines, and it is from the food in the intestines that the body absorbs calories and nutrients. That's why we often see tennis players snacking on bananas between matches.

One might argue: if the liquid content of food plays such a big role, and if a person thought of filling a car with liquid fuel, why didn’t Mother Nature have the intelligence to provide us with food in liquid form? And that was just enough for her! Fruits consist mainly of water, some containing up to 90%. This is one of the manifestations of the highest wisdom of Mother Nature - to enclose the necessary liquid in a solid shell. The liquid flows away, the solid component is much easier to transport and store. Do you want, like the ancient Briton, to go to the nearest stream for water? Wouldn't it be simpler and more convenient to set up a garden near your house - let the trees draw the water and minerals you need from the soil? Then you will receive all this in a convenient package - in the form of fruits, rich in vital nutrients, juicy and tasty, quenching both hunger and thirst. You can eat them right away or store them for several weeks. Don't confuse your body. We tend to take it for granted, but the more we study it, the more we become convinced that it is a real miracle. The foresight of Mother Nature is amazing, which did not require us to rummage in the ground in search of the necessary minerals.

Fruits are a pleasure to eat and are wonderfully refreshing. Have you noticed that even on the hottest days, fresh fruit remains cool? And man-made drinks must either be stored in the refrigerator or served with ice. Do not interfere with the work of the body, rejoice at how thoughtfully it is designed!

Another advantage of fruits is that they leave very little waste, which means they are easy to remove from the body. By eating the fruit, you get maximum energy, and only a small percentage of it is spent on digestion, assimilation and elimination of waste products. Fruits give us excess energy. Some will ask: “Well, who needs it, this excess?” And he will add that during periods of increased activity he lives on nerves, it is difficult for him to relax, as if these problems were created by excess energy. But, like money, there is no such thing as too much. Energy is a miracle, absolutely necessary for a rich and joyful life.

Fresh fruits are an ideal product designed specifically for people. Children instinctively love fruit, but it takes intense brainwashing to make them love meat or milk. Second only to fruits are fresh vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains and other plant foods.

If you are concerned about a vitamin deficiency, remember that these foods provide all the vitamins and minerals we need. As I already said, vitamin deficiency is the scourge of a civilized society.

A significant advantage of fresh fruits and vegetables is their relative cheapness, and if you have own garden, you can get them for free. Let's pause for a minute to

Think about the meaning

The gorilla is the largest member of the ape family. Strong, with a massive constitution and huge fangs - they look very dangerous. But this is only an appearance - in fact, these are very gentle animals.

Gorillas are the largest primates alive today

There are two types of gorillas: lowland gorillas, which live in the lowlands wet forests Gabon, Cameroon and Congo, as well as mountain gorillas, which live only in a small area in the center of Africa, in the Virunga Mountains.

Gorillas communicate with each other not only by voice, but also by facial expressions

They are social animals and being in a group comes naturally to them. Gorillas spend most of their time eating. Since they are vegetarians, they eat mainly leaves, young shoots, and sometimes fruits.

The gorilla's day usually begins with short walks near the nest, during which he eats leaves and grass. Lunch is a time for rest, when the monkeys wander around the forest or just sleep. In the afternoon, nest construction begins. The leader of the group, usually the strongest male, chooses a place to rest. When the leader gives the signal, all members of the flock begin to build a nest.

Listen to the voice of a gorilla

In case of danger, the gorilla can stand up and beat its chest with its fists. This should alert the attacker.

Gorillas, unfortunately, are an endangered species. Poachers hunt them mainly for their fur and skull.

Did you know that the gorilla:

• is the largest representative of monkeys;
• can lift 980 kg;
• V wildlife only about 300 mountain gorillas remain;
• adult males have silver-colored fur on their back;
• arm span exceeds 2.5 m;
• females and young can climb the tree, while males, due to their size, usually remain on the ground;
• in captivity they live up to 50 years.

Gorilla sizes:

• height: males - 1.65-2.0 m, females - 1.4 m;
• weight: males - 160 - 225 kg (in captivity up to 270 kg), females 60-100 kg;
• life expectancy: 30-40 years (in captivity - up to 50 years, record 54 years).

Male gorilla (all photos are clickable)

Gorillas belong to the order of primates, that is, they are apes. They are very similar to people: they can walk lower limbs, they are deft with their hands, have facial expressions, their blood has groups, and the structure of their DNA coincides with that of humans.

Their habitats are African rainforests, flat and mountainous. In accordance with this, lowland and mountain gorillas are distinguished.

The word “gorilla” was given to the world by the Carthaginian navigator Hanno, who 2,500 years ago sailed to the shores of West Africa, where he discovered and described “wild hairy people.” Much later, great apes were discovered in both East and Central Africa. And by the 1930s, science had a lot of information about these monkeys and many of their names: Engina, gorilla gina, gina, mountain gorilla, etc. Until the American scientist Harold Coolidge determined that they were all one species.

Modern science knows three subspecies of gorillas, differing in habitat: western valley (Cameroon, Congo, Gabon), mountain (mountain forests around Lake Kivu), eastern valley (forests near Lake Tanganyika and the Congo River). Only a specialist can see their differences. Overall, this is a very big black monkey, whose height reaches two meters, weighs 250-300 kg, with big head, powerful chest, noticeable belly, long arms and short legs. The body is covered with fur, with the exception of the face, ears, hands and feet. These monkeys have a very expressive face: under the prominent brow ridges there are deep-set eyes, wide nostrils, and tightly compressed lips.

Mom and baby

In the wild, gorillas live in herds of up to 30 individuals. Their daily routine is simple: food - sleep, sleep - food. They sleep a lot; for the night they make nests in trees or in bamboo thickets. Each person arranges a place to stay for the night herself. Even cubs know how to organize a place for themselves to rest. They eat mainly plant foods: young shoots of trees, berries, nettles, celery.

Gorilla is a social animal that lives in family group, which is led by a mature male, can be identified by its silver-gray back. In addition to him and the females, the family includes several young males, who are brothers or sons of the head of the pack, they help him protect the group from enemies, mainly poisonous snakes and boa constrictors, as well as from other monkeys and humans. The leader himself is very strong and brutal, but towards his wives and cubs he is kind and gentle. In terms of procreation, the choice remains with the female; she herself determines when she will enter into a relationship with the leader, and can leave the family if the feelings fade away.

Pregnancy in a female lasts 251-289 days, the newborn weighs a kilogram and a half, it is naked, without teeth, and looks like a child. During the first three months the baby learns to focus his gaze, recognize his relatives, respond to maternal affection and do many things complex movements to know the world. Then he masters the method of traveling astride his mother. Six months later, he is already a tomboy, he still feeds on his mother’s milk, but he is already trying adult food. Approximately until four years continues to be with the mother, even if she gives birth to another baby, the female sleeps along with all the small children. A gorilla giving birth for the first time is assisted by more experienced females. The worst thing for a cub is when, when moving to other places, he falls off his mother’s back and gets lost in the thickets - then he will not survive.

Female gorilla and her baby

By the age of seven, the gorilla begins to develop puberty. The grown daughters of the leader leave the group to join the males of other families. The eldest sons remain in the family as heirs. And the younger ones go to try their luck in other territories and start their own families.

Like all social animals, gorillas do not like to conflict. But when threatened, the male leader becomes scary. His rage has been described by many researchers, and we also know about it from films. The leader, becoming enraged, throws back his head and begins to hoot intermittently, gradually the hoot increases and merges into a continuous roar. Having reached a certain limit, the roar stops, and the leader tears off the leaf and puts it between his lips. At this time, it is better not to be in his way, because a leaf in the mouth is a sign of violent actions. At this time, relatives move away and find shelter. And the male, having risen to his feet, beats himself in the chest, then pulls out tufts of grass or bushes, violently rushes forward (everyone who comes across him at this moment can be killed) and puts all his anger into striking the ground. A few blows - and the leader calms down, sits on the ground and looks around him. The frightened family comes out of their shelters. The rest of the gorilla's emotions are in his eyes; his gaze is capable of expressing all shades of mood, from wild joy to despair and annoyance.

Gorillas suffer from human interference, their numbers are declining, but thanks to the research of scientists, we have learned a lot about them and, quite likely, there are many discoveries ahead related to these great apes.