The mountain gorilla subspecies was discovered in 1902. There are only around 1,000 left in the world today and these are split into two groups. Around half of them are found in the Virunga volcanic mountains of Central Africa and the remainder are found in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
These gorillas live in forests high on the mountains at elevations of 8,000 to 13,000 feet. They are very like their cousins in the lowlands except that they have thicker, longer fur to enable them to survive the bitter cold of the mountains. The mountain gorilla is the largest living primate and has long, muscular arms and a massive chest. Adult males are called silverbacks because a line of silver or grey-coloured hair forms along their backs with age.
The mountain gorilla is primarily terrestrial but it can climb fruit trees if required. It moves by knuckle-walking, using the back of its hands to support its weight as it moves.
Each gorilla builds a nest to sleep in every day and leaves this nest by around 6 am to forage for food. It is a highly social animal and lives in stable, well-knit groups. They are non-territorial which means that the leader will defend his group rather than his territory. These animals are listed as endangered and suffer from loss of habitat. They are also highly susceptible to catching human diseases.
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