Uganda safaris

Answers to questions on rare facts about gorillas

Gorillas, with whom we share about 98 percent of our DNA in common are truly man’s closest relatives living in the wild. Researchers have done a wonderful job in their study about gorillas through which they have established many amazing facts about these apes to help us understand our cousins better. However, the wonderful facts about these gentle giants seem to be endless with more of them being discovered each day that passes. This time we are discussing other five amazing aspects about gorillas life through a question-answer approach to enlighten your understanding of these great apes.

Q1: What are gorilla personalities like?

Each gorilla has got a different personality just like we humans. Like human children, young gorillas tend to be energetic and playful, however, they usually calm down and spend less time playing as they mature. But this does not mean that adult gorillas don’t engage in playing at all, though gorillas are generally shy and are considered neophobic. This aspect explains why gorillas have to first go through a process of habitation by researchers in order to make them get used to the presence of humans before they can be visited by tourists.

Q2: How do gorillas interact with other wildlife?

Although gorillas are the largest primates on the planet, they are generally shy and always display fear before anything new (neophobic). Though curious, but due to this fact, they are generally timid. However, they may still interact with other wildlife given the opportunity despite their neophobia. Researchers have observed a group of gorillas investigating a baby antelope nervously after meeting it in their habitat.

Q3: Do gorillas get bored?

Although humans have tried to assign human-like emotions to animals, it is not easy to understand what an animal may be thinking at a given moment. It is far easier to interpret behaviors like aggression in gorillas than boredom. Animal scientists acknowledge that although it is okay to anticipate animal behavior, it is important that we don’t place our human emotions on them. However, they also admit that it is possible that gorillas and other animals get bored just like humans do. In the anticipated boring times, increase in play by juvenile and adult gorillas is observed as they try to pass time.

Q4: Do gorillas eat invertebrates?

While gorillas are herbivores, they have been observed eating invertebrates in addition to plant-based items. However, this habit is not common among mountain gorillas, it is more associated with Western lowland gorillas which have been observed eating termites and ants occasionally.

Q5: What is the best temperature range for gorillas?

Gorillas live in different temperature zones depending on their species and therefore their best temperature range depends on where a particular species live. For example, mountain gorillas live at higher altitudes than other gorilla subspecies and their longer hair help them to adapt well to the cold temperatures. Other gorilla subspecies with shorter hair may perhaps not survive in such cold conditions at high altitudes. The daytime temperatures in the mountain gorilla habitat are between 50- and 73- degrees Fahrenheit, with colder nights. The temperatures in the habitats of other gorilla subspecies are warmer.

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