Mountain gorillas are social animals that live in groups of 5 to 50 individuals, usually led by an adult male known as the Silverback, along with several other adult females and their offspring.
Although mountain gorillas primarily live in groups, some solitary males roam the forest on their own.
These solitary males may engage in fights with other groups in an attempt to acquire females or join female groups in situations where the Silverback has just died, leaving no heir to dominate the group.
The largest mountain gorilla family ever recorded was found in Rwanda, consisting of 65 individuals. When a group leader dies, the eldest son usually takes over the leadership.
Female mountain gorillas typically leave their birth groups and join solitary males to form a group or join another existing group before reproducing.
Once a female gives birth in a group, she usually remains with that group for the rest of her life.
The dominant male Silverback always has access to all the group’s females, and other males are not supposed to have access to any female within the group, as it can lead to fights between the dominant Silverback and other males.
After a gestation period of 8 and a half months, when a female gorilla gives birth, they take good care of their babies.
The infants cling to their mothers’ stomachs or backs and feed on breast milk until they reach the age of about 3-4 years old.
The females also take on the responsibility of weaning and grooming their babies. The babies sleep with their mothers in the same nests until a certain age when they can construct their own nests next to their mothers.
On average, a dominating Silverback leads a family for four to seven years. The dominating Silverback is responsible for protecting the group and will fight to ensure the group’s safety in case of any external attacks.
If a female mountain gorilla dies, leaving behind her baby, the Silverback will take care of the offspring and may even sleep with it in their nest.
Mountain gorilla families can disperse when a Silverback dies without leaving an offspring in the group.
The females may choose to join other gorilla families, or a lone Silverback may come and take over the group.
However, if the group has young males, the new Silverback may kill all the infants of the deceased Silverback to avoid competition.
Go gorilla trekking in Uganda, Rwanda & Congo in Africa to meet gorillas in the wild.
Gorilla FAQs & Information
- Why Can’t You Look or Make Eye Contact with a Gorilla?
- Why Silverback Gorillas Fight
- Importance of Mountain Gorillas
- What to do when a gorilla charges on you
- What is The Largest Species of Gorillas?
- What is a Group of Gorillas Called?
- What is the Mountain Gorillas Role in The Ecosystem?
- The Mountain Gorilla Defense Mechanism
- How to Provoke/Annoy a Gorilla
- How Gorillas Greet Each Other
- Do All Gorillas Become Silverbacks?
- Do Gorillas like Humans
- Do gorillas Eat of Kill Their Babies?
- Do Gorillas Eat Humans?
- Can you Tame a Gorilla
- Can you Own a Gorilla?
- How to Protect & Save Mountain Gorillas
- Why Gorillas Are So Strong
- How Many Humans Does it Take to Beat a Gorilla?
- How do you call a Baby Gorilla?
- How Do Gorillas Sleep?
- How Mountain Gorillas Communicate
- The Gorilla Life Cycle
- Do Gorillas drink water?
- Are Gorillas friendly & gentle to humans?
- Why do Apes, Gorillas beat their chest & sound hollow?
- Gorilla Threats: Why Mountain Gorillas were endangered?
- Why were Mountain Gorillas going extinct?
- What is a Silverback Gorilla?
- Gorilla Species: Different Kinds/Types of Gorilla & Breeds
- Mountain Gorilla Diet
- Mountain Gorilla Size, Average Height & Weight Measurements
- Natural Mountain Gorilla Predators
- Mountain Gorilla Population
- Lifespan of Mountain Gorillas
- Mountain Gorilla Natural Habitat
- Mountain Gorilla Conservation Efforts
- Mountain Gorilla Behavior
- How to Survive a Gorilla Attack on Humans
- Are Gorillas Dangerous to the People
- Why are Gorillas Poached in Africa
- How Gorillas Adapt to Rain-forest Environment
- Interesting Facts about Mountain Gorillas in Africa
- Traits, Qualities & Characteristics of Mountain Gorillas
- How Strong is a Silverback Gorilla?
- Best Place to See Mountain Gorillas in Africa
- Uganda Gorilla Families
- Rwanda Gorilla Families
- Congo Gorilla Families
