Mountain gorillas inhabit the subtropical and tropical rainforests of East and Central Africa in Rwanda, Congo, and Uganda.
Gorillas are humans’ close relatives, next to Bonobos and chimpanzees, sharing 98% DNA.
Mountain gorillas are an endangered species of primates with fewer than 1000 individuals left in the wild.
The main threats to mountain gorillas are habitat loss and poaching, carried out by humans for various reasons.
The dominating silverbacks organize all the group’s daily activities and defend the group from attacks.
Female mountain gorillas mature sexually before males, at the age of 8-12 years.
Their birth rate is very low, with 1-2 fertile days in a month, and a female can produce only about 4-6 offspring in a lifetime.
The gestation period for gorillas is 8-9 months.
About Mountain Gorilla Habitats
Mountain gorillas live on the volcanic slopes of the Virunga massif ranges, including Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, Virunga National Park in Congo, and Bwindi and Mgahinga National Parks in Uganda.
They inhabit elevations ranging from 8,000 to 13,000 feet.
Mountain gorillas have thick and long fur compared to other great apes, which helps them survive in cold conditions where temperatures drop to freezing levels.
Mountain gorillas feed on shoots, bark, leaves, fruits, stems, and pith found on the slopes of the volcanoes they inhabit.
Mountain gorillas cannot survive for long in zoos; they require their natural habitats of tropical forests, rainforests, and dense forests. Rainforests consist of layers: emergent layer, canopy layer, understory layer, and forest floor layer.
Mountain gorillas live in the forest floor layer of rainforests, but all the layers help the inhabitants survive.
Mountain gorilla habitat is being threatened due to human settlement, mining, deforestation, bush burning, land clearing for industrial use, and farming.
As mountain gorilla habitat is encroached upon by humans, this has forced mountain gorillas to move to higher elevations, which are very cold and unfavorable, leading them to contract diseases like pneumonia.
Gorillas make nests daily on the ground using tree branches and leaves. Young baby gorillas share a nest with their mothers until the age of 4, where they can sleep in their own nests but close to their mothers.
They also sometimes sleep in the same nests, especially during the rainy season, and can construct nests to rest during the daytime.
Trekking Gorillas in Their Natural Habitat
Gorilla trekking can be done in Bwindi and Mgahinga National Parks in Uganda, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, and Virunga National Park in Congo.
Gorilla permits must be obtained three months in advance before the final gorilla trekking day to avoid disappointment due to no permits available upon arrival in the country where you plan to trek gorillas.
Gorilla permit prices vary depending on the country where you plan to trek gorillas.
Rwanda charges $1500 per person, Uganda $700 per person, and the Democratic Republic of Congo charges $400 per person.
All the national parks where you can trek gorillas experience the same type of climate; therefore, the very best time to visit is from June to September and December to February.
