vampire squid habitat
Gorillas are found in tropical rain forest lowland, highland, mountain slopes and bamboo forests in Africa, mainly along the equator[phpbay]
Class: Mammalia (Mammals)
Order: Primates
Family: Hominidae
Genus: Gorilla
Species: Gorilla gorilla (western gorilla)
Subspecies:
• Gorilla gorilla gorilla (western lowland gorilla)
• Gorilla gorilla diehli (Cross River gorilla)
Species: Gorilla berengei (eastern gorilla)
Subspecies:
• Gorilla berengei berengei (mountain gorilla)
• Gorilla berengei graueri (Grauer's gorilla)
• Gorilla berengei (Bwindi gorilla)
The largest of all primates, gorillas are peaceful, family-oriented and plant-eaters[phpbay] Yes, that's right! They are herbivores, eating mainly leaves, stems, fruits, seeds, and roots[phpbay]
You may ask, how in the world do they get to weigh from 200 to 400 pounds (91 to 181 kilograms)[phpbay] They eat a lot of food[phpbay] The average adult male can eat up to 40 lbs foraging in 1 day! That's a lot of eating[phpbay]
* Note: My husband is an decathlete, and when we organize his meal plans and try to increase his protein, we always try to keep in mind that many of the world's largest animals, especially mammals, are not meat-eaters[phpbay] That's right[phpbay][phpbay][phpbay]Just think about it: rhinoceros, cows, buffalo, elephants, giraffes[phpbay][phpbay][phpbay]they are all herbivores[phpbay] It is just amazing that they can get so large, and maintain that size, just by eating plants! Wow!
Troops are lead by one single male called a "silverback"[phpbay] He is responsible for everything concerning his troop[phpbay] This means the safety and well-being of between 5-30 individuals, all ride upon his shoulders[phpbay] Now, that is a big job!
He leads them, every morning, to a new food source, so they don't deplete any one area[phpbay] Then, the whole gang, minus the youngsters, gather together leaves, twigs and branches to create for themselves a day nest, to have a morning nest[phpbay] I say "minus the youngsters" because this is their playtime! They get to run around, and act like monkeys[phpbay][phpbay][phpbay]LOL
* Fun Fact: Gorillas never sleep in the same nest twice!
The troop will eat, again, until their bedtime, which means, you guessed it, another nest-making session!
There are times that other males will challenge a silverback to take control of the troop[phpbay] In this instance, the males will stand upon their feet, beat their chest, bare their teeth, scream, and then charge forward[phpbay] He may even use branches to shake at the intruder to scare him off[phpbay] Often, these confrontations can lead to severe injury or even death[phpbay]
Gorillas are an endangered species[phpbay]
Facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild[phpbay]
Gorillas are at the top of their food chain[phpbay] "So, why are they endangered?", you may ask[phpbay] Well, poachers kill gorillas for bushmeat, and for trinkets they can sell on the black-market[phpbay] Their habitat is being deforested as we speak, and forcing them into smaller and smaller areas, in which it is difficult for them to find food, as it is being depleted[phpbay] This is due to human encroachment and development[phpbay]
What You Can Do:
1[phpbay] You can adopt a gorilla at WWF or at the Dian Fossey's Gorilla Fund[phpbay]
2[phpbay] Anytime you buy wood or furniture that came from Africa, ask if that wood has been certified[phpbay] This means that the this wood was farmed in ways that are approved by forestry experts[phpbay] By standing up to ask this question, you are encouraging logging companies in Africa to follow the wildlife laws instituted to protect these gorillas, and other African animals[phpbay]
3[phpbay] Become a member of an animal conservation network[phpbay]
4[phpbay] You can donate to animal refuges[phpbay]
5[phpbay] Support local groups or fundraisers that are fighting to save endangered animals[phpbay]
by Kimberly Edwards
Earth
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This entry was posted on Thursday, September 10th, 2009 at 11:16 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.