Want to know the size of mountain gorillas? Gorillas are the largest living primates in the world. Baby mountain gorillas are born small and fragile, much like human babies. They usually weigh about 3 to 4 kilograms at birth and drink their mother’s milk until they are around 4 years old.
Mountain gorillas grow in size as they get older.
They are fully herbivores and eat leaves, fruits, bark, bamboo shoots, stems, and pith. Sometimes, they add ants, termites, and other insects to their diet.
Mountain gorillas use sticks to collect termites from holes. About 25% of their diet is made up of fruits.
Mountain gorilla weight
Gorillas are heavy animals with strong, muscular bodies. Adult males weigh more than adult females.
A mature male mountain gorilla weighs between 136 and 196 kilograms. Adult females weigh between 68 and 113 kilograms.
The heaviest gorilla ever recorded weighed 267 kilograms and was 1.83 meters tall. This gorilla was shot in Ambam, Cameroon.
Western gorillas in zoos can weigh up to 310 kilograms, but mountain gorillas rarely survive in captivity.
Height of mountain gorillas
The average height of a mountain gorilla is about 1.7 meters.
Adult males are usually between 5 feet 5 inches and 5 feet 9 inches tall. Adult females are shorter, around 5 feet tall.
Mountain gorillas usually walk on all four legs but can stand and walk short distances on two legs, up to 20 feet.
The tallest gorilla ever recorded was 1.95 meters tall, with a chest width of 1.98 meters and an arm span of 2.7 meters. It weighed 219 kilograms. This gorilla was shot in Alimbogo, north of the Kivu region, in 1938.
To learn more about mountain gorilla size, weight, and height, you can visit Virunga National Park in Congo, Bwindi and Mgahinga National Parks in Uganda, or Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.
Gorilla permits should be booked well in advance—usually three months before the trekking date—especially during busy seasons.
Children under 15 years old and sick people are not allowed to visit mountain gorillas.
Once you find a gorilla family, you get one hour to watch them. It is important to follow the rules while near the gorillas.
