Gorilla 38cm - Soft Toy

Physical Characteristics
Gorillas have a standing height of 1.2 to 1.8 m (4 to 6ft), weigh between 135 and 220 kg and normally live up to 35 years. A group is called a troop or a band. Gorillas move around by knuckle-walking. Almost all gorillas share the same blood type (B) and, like humans, have individual finger prints! Gorillas are closely related to humans and are considered highly intelligent.

Habitat
Gorillas normally live in the thick forests of central and west Africa, where troops find plentiful food for their diet. There are roughly 700 mountain gorillas remaining on Earth, and nearly half live in the forests of the Virunga mountains in central Africa. These gorillas live on the green, volcanic slopes of Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Behaviour
Gorillas can climb trees, but are usually found on the ground in communities of up to 30 individuals. These troops are organized according to fascinating social structures. Troops are led by one dominant, older adult male, often called a silverback because of the swath of silver hair that adorns his otherwise dark fur. Male silverback mountain gorillas gain their distinctive silver tinge at about 13 years old, when they reach adulthood. The leader organizes troop activities like eating, nesting in leaves, and moving about the group's 2 to 40 sq km home range.

Breeding
The gestation period for gorillas is 8 and 1/2 months. There are typically 3 to 4 years between births. Infants stay with their mothers for 3-4 years. Females mature at 10-12 years and males at 11-13 years.

Diet
Gorillas are foliovores, normally eating roots, shoots, fruit, wild celery, tree bark and pulp. However they sometimes eat small insects too.

Strange and Interesting Facts
Gorillas are known to use tools to help them, for example they have been recorded using a stick as if to gauge the depth of water whilst crossing a swamp. A second female was seen using a tree stump as a bridge and also as a support whilst fishing in the swamp!