- Status: Endangered
- Mountain and lowland forests of Rwanda, Uganda, and eastern Congo
Numbers
- Weight
- 375 lbadult male, from 310 to 450 lb; female weighs between 200 and 220 lb
- Length
- 5,5 ftfrom 4 to 5.7 ft
- Height
- 5,5 ftadult male; female reaches about 5 ft
- Lifespan
- 35 yearsfrom 35 to 40 years in the wild
- Record height
- 6,4 ftspecimen found in Congo in May 1938
- Largest group
- 35 individualslarger groups than those of the western gorilla
- Gestation
- 8,5 monthsone birth every three or four years
Ten fun facts
an adult male weighs between 310 and 450 pounds, while a female usually weighs around 200 to 220 pounds.
the tallest recorded specimen stood six and a half feet tall and was discovered in Congo back in May 1938.
the silver hairs on a male gorilla's back appear as he grows older, just like gray hair in aging humans.
this animal eats mostly leaves because fruit is scarce in its home forest, which means it travels very short distances.
it builds a brand new sleeping nest every single night by bending vegetation, almost always on the forest floor.
pregnancy lasts eight and a half months and females give birth only once every three or four years.
an infant is born with grayish-pink skin, begins crawling at nine weeks, and is fully weaned around three and a half years.
the dominant male protects his family by charging and beating his chest, an impressive show that usually prevents actual fights.
between 1996 and 2016, this impressive species lost more than seventy percent of its entire wild population.
the Antwerp Zoo is the only facility outside Africa holding eastern gorillas, while mountain gorillas do not live in captivity.
The quiz answers
The first one is the question printed in your book: here is the answer. The other four are extra.
Question 1 of 5★ this one is in your book
What does the eastern gorilla mainly eat?
Question 2 of 5
Why are older males called silverbacks?
Question 3 of 5
How often does a female give birth to a infant?
Question 4 of 5
Where does it build its night shelter?
Question 5 of 5
How many eastern gorillas remained in 2016?
Try it yourself
Weigh a backpack full of heavy books, then calculate how many times it fits into four hundred and fifty pounds: that is the weight of an adult male gorilla.
Mark five and a half feet on a wall: that is the height of a standing adult male eastern gorilla. Now compare that height with your own.
Try building a sleeping nest just like a gorilla does: bend thin branches and leafy twigs into a neat circle without using any rope, wire, or nails.
Data from Wikidata (Q307157) and Wikipedia (Eastern gorilla).