The composition of social groups varies, but they often consist of more than 20 individuals, usually an adult male with several females and offspring. In the wild, adult females typically give birth to one infant every four years. They gestate for roughly eight and a half months, and infants are weaned at about three years of age. The diet of gorillas varies between the gorilla species and subspecies and may vary with changes in the season. Gorillas consume vegetation and fruit; they have never been observed eating meat. Thanks to humans, habitat destruction and the bushmeat trade (wild animals hunted for food) are the biggest threats to gorillas in the wild.
There are two species of gorilla (Western and Eastern) and four subspecies:
- Western lowland gorilla
- Cross River gorilla
- Mountain gorilla
- Eastern lowland gorilla
Gorillas are found throughout Africa.
Western Gorillas: Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, Angola, Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo
Eastern Gorillas: Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda
Population
Western gorilla: 94,700 (est.)
Eastern gorilla: 17,500 (est.)