Western Lowland Gorillas
In remote lowland forests there is a quiet gorilla subspecies known as the western lowland gorilla. We are home to a troop that includes a silverback male, four adult females, and male and female infants.
Gentle giants roaming thick forests
While these gorillas have impressive size and weight, western lowland gorillas are the smallest of the gorilla species. Living together in close-knit family groups, a gorilla troop is led by a dominant male called a silverback who has a saddle of silver hair on the small of his back. Gorillas can climb but typically keep to the ground and move around on all fours, walking on their knuckles.
- IUCN Red List Status: Critically Endangered (at extremely high risk of extinction in the wild)
- Type: Mammal
- Habitat: Tropical rainforests of central and western Africa
- Diet: Herbivore – leaves, shoots, and fruits
- Size: 4 to 6 feet tall
- Weight: 150 to 400 pounds
facts about our animals
Fun Facts about Gorillas
Silverback gorillas are responsible for leading the group in nesting, eating, and traveling across their native range.
These gorillas are typically quiet animals but have up to 22 different kinds of vocalizations.
Newborn gorillas only weigh four pounds and ride on their mother’s backs, chest, and legs until they are three years old.
Western lowland gorillas are distinguished by a prominent ridge on their brow.
An adult male will eat 40 to 50 pounds of food every day, while an adult female will eat between half and two thirds of that amount.
Gorillas have unique nose prints in the same way that humans have unique fingerprints.
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