What is a Silverback gorilla? A Silverback is a term used to describe a mature male mountain gorilla that develops a grey patch of hair along his back due to aging.
Most Silverbacks are either group dominants, lone gorillas, or rivals competing for group domination.
A Silverback is responsible for all the group’s day-to-day activities. They determine the group’s travel routes, foraging locations, resting points, and the construction of nests for nighttime sleep.
They are the most aggressive among all mountain gorillas, a fact you will witness on your gorilla trekking tours.
The dominating Silverback mates with all the group’s females and does not allow any other Silverbacks or Juveniles in the group to do the same.
This is why mature non-dominant Silverbacks move away to form their own families or fight the dominating silverback in order to gain control.
With this, they can also gain mating rights and have offspring of their own.
Silverbacks are responsible for the safety of their families. In case of any danger, they fight to protect their families even if it leads to their death.
Silverbacks also use sign language to communicate with the entire group in case of danger.
Adult males weigh more than female gorillas and are also taller than females.
Silverback gorillas consume about 30 kilograms of food each day while the females consume up to 18 kilograms of vegetation.
A Silverback possesses a set of 13 ribs, making it a total of 26 ribs.
A single rib is heavier than that of a human being. Some of them are prone to killing young adult males (Juveniles) when they triumph in a fight and take over a family.
This is because they want to avoid future challenges.
Trekking Silverback Gorillas
To learn more about Silverbacks, you can visit Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The cost of gorilla trekking differs across all countries.
Sick people and children under the age of 15 years are not allowed to trek mountain gorillas.
Trekking mountain gorillas is not like going on a game drive or engaging in any other ordinary activity.
You have to locate these primates by hiking to the mountain slopes. You will also need a set of gorilla trekking gear, including hiking boots, garden gloves, warm clothing, raincoats, insect repellents, sunscreens, energy snacks, and drinking water.
Mountain gorilla national parks experience similar types of climates.
The best time to visit gorillas is during the dry season, typically from June to September and December to February.
The wet season might disrupt the gorilla trekking activity as some roads leading to the national parks become impassable.
The trekking trails also become muddy, slippery, and difficult to traverse.
