Western Lowland Gorilla
Ecology
Physical Description
The western lowland gorilla has a brown-grey coat with a red or auburn colored chest. Mature males have a silver and white saddle extending from the back to the rump and thighs. In this subspecies, the brow ridge is more pronounced and ears appear small in relation to the heads. Compared to other gorilla subspecies, the western lowland gorilla also has a wider skull.
Western lowland gorillas are overall smaller and lighter than the other subspecies and there is a more pronounced difference between males and females. Females are approximately half the size of males.
Mother with young on her back.
© Martin Harvey / WWF-Canon
Diet
Gorillas are mainly herbivorous; their staple foods are pith, shoots and leaves. Fruits are also an important component of western lowland gorillas’ diet and are consumed according to their seasonal availability. Over 100 fruit species have been recorded in their diet. In drier months, when fruits are scarce, gorillas supplement their diet with leaves, bark and rotten wood. They have also been known to eat termites and weaver ants.
Reproduction
Females become sexually mature at 7-8 years old but do not start to breed until several years later. Males mature later than females with few breeding before the age of 15 years.
High infant mortality, a long gestation (eight and a half months), a tendency for single births and a prolonged period of maternal care mean that on average only one infant is reared in a 4 to 6 year period. Females generally give birth to only 3-4 surviving young during their reproductive life.
Social Structure
The western lowland gorilla has the smallest family groups of all gorillas, averaging four to eight members.
