Gorilla Monkey Business

My last blog was about the Cross River gorillas that had been filmed for the first time.  Now that the "scientific treatise" is done, we can focus on the "monkey business."  Gorillas are interesting animals.  These endangered animals live in thick forests where they eat a  vegetarian diet of roots, fruit, shoots, wild celery, and tree bark.

Gorillas are in many ways similar to humans.  The gestation period for the female is approximately nine months.  Infants are tiny, weighing only about four pounds.  After four months or so they can cling to their mothers' fur and ride on her back.  This continues through the first two or three years of their lives.

Young gorillas remind observers of human youngsters.  Much of their time is spent playing.  They climb trees, chase one another, swing from branches and torment their elders. Of course they are perfecting life skills through the play.

Gorillas can climb trees but they are usually found on the ground in small groups.  Their social structure revolves around the older mature male called a silverback because of the grey hair found on his head and back.  His troop usually includes other young males, some females and their young ones.

The silverback is the leader when searching for food, eating, nesting in leaves and moving about  the home territory.  This alpha male dominates and protects his troop.  Left undisturbed, gorillas are usually calm; however; when the alpha male is alarmed, he may appear aggressive by standing up, throwing things and making threatening gestures.  Yes, he does pound his chest and bark out ferocious sounds.

Some conservationists are actively working to help the mountain gorillas by establishing sanctuaries and getting laws passed to protect them from poaching.  They believe that the population is holding steady but gorillas are still an endangered species.