Gorillas
By Ms. Amabile
Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Habitat 3. Diet 4. Defense 5. Lifespan 6. Conclusion 7. Glossary
Introduction
1
This is a report about African gorillas. There are 2 types of African gorilla, the Mountain gorilla and the Lowland Gorilla.
Habitat
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Some troops have a junior Mountain gorillas live high up silverback helper. in African mountains. Because it is colder in higher elevations their fur is longer and thicker. The Lowland gorilla lives at sea level in the mid-African rainforest. All gorillas live in groups called troops. Troops are led by the silverback gorilla. The silverback is the dominant male in the troop. He protects the troop and keeps peace within the troop.
Diet Gorillas are herbivores. They eat plants, specially leaves, fruit, flowers, vines and bark They love to eat wild celery. Gorillas have big teeth and strong jaws to help them chew. Because they are so big, gorillas must spend most of their time eating. They travel from place to place together in their troops to search for new sources of food.
3
When the leading silverback finds a good place for feeding, the whole troop stops to eat. When they consume the food in an area, the gorillas then need to move on and find somewhere new. When they need to stop and rest, they build temporary nests, which then they abandon as they travel.
Defense Because of their size, gorillas do not have many predators. Their greatest predators are humans. In the wild, when a troop feels threatened, the silverback will defend the troop. The silverback stands up tall, roars and screams, and beats his chest as he charges toward the threat. This behavior is usually enough to scare off any dangerous intruder.
4
Gorillas have numerous sounds that they use to communicate. When they sound an alarm call, the whole troop can respond.
Lifespan 5 In their natural environment, gorillas can live to be about 35 years old. In captivity they can sometimes live to be 50. An adult female gorilla will have 1 baby at a time. A baby gorilla weighs only 5 pounds when it is born. A mother gorilla will carry her baby around for 3 years. A full grown female will stand about 5 feet tall and weigh up to 300 pounds.
A full grown male gorilla will stand close to 6 feet tall when standing upright and weight upwards of 600 pounds. The armspan of a gorilla is longer than its height. Gorillas walk on all four legs.
Conclusion
6
In this report you learned about the life and habits of an African gorilla. For more information, visit the following sites: National Geographic
Koko the Gorilla
Wikipedia
Glossary 7 Consume
to eat or use up a resource
Dominant
the biggest, strongest and most powerful
Elevation Herbivore Intruder Predator
the height above sea level an animal that eats only plants an unwelcome or dangerous visitor an animal that lives by hunting animals for food
Silverback the dominant male gorilla who leads and protects his troop
Temporary something that only last a short time a group of gorillas Troop