What is a silverback gorilla? A silverback is a name used for an adult male mountain gorilla that grows a grey patch of hair on his back as he gets older. Most silverbacks are either leaders of a group, living alone, or trying to take over a group. A silverback is in charge of all the group’s daily activities. He decides where the group travels, where they search for food, where they rest, and where they build nests for sleeping at night.
Silverbacks are the most assertive of all mountain gorillas, and you may notice this during your tour. The dominant silverback is the only one who mates with the females in the group. He does not allow other silverbacks or young males to mate. This is why adult male gorillas that are not dominant often leave the group to start their own families or challenge the leader in a fight to take over. If they win, they also gain the right to mate and have offspring of their own.
Silverbacks are also in charge of protecting their families. If there is danger, they will fight to protect the group, even if it means risking their own life. Silverbacks use body movements and gestures to communicate with the group during times of danger.
Adult male gorillas are heavier and taller than females. A silverback eats about 30 kilograms of food every day, while female gorillas eat about 18 kilograms. A silverback has 13 pairs of ribs, making a total of 26 ribs, and each rib is heavier than that of a human. Some silverbacks may kill young males after taking over a group, done to prevent future challenges to their leadership.
Trekking Silverback Gorillas
To learn more about silverbacks, you can visit Uganda, Rwanda, or the Democratic Republic of Congo. The price for gorilla trekking is different in each country. People who are sick or children under 15 are not allowed to book a gorilla safari.
Trekking mountain gorillas is not the same as going on a game drive or a simple tour. You have to hike up mountain slopes to find them, and you also need trekking gear like hiking boots, garden gloves, warm clothes, raincoats, insect repellent, sunscreen, energy snacks, and clean drinking water.
Mountain gorilla parks usually share similar weather patterns. The best time to visit is during the dry season, which runs from June to September and from December to February. During the wet season, some roads to the national parks may be hard to use, and trekking trails become muddy, slippery, and harder to walk on.
Why Silverback Gorillas Fight
Want to understand why silverback gorillas fight? Male gorillas become silverbacks as they grow older and develop a patch of grey hair on their backs and shoulders. Only silverback males can lead a mountain gorilla family and mate with any female in the group. Female mountain gorillas become sexually mature at a younger age than males.
Silverback gorillas usually do not fight without a strong reason. But when they do, the fights can be serious, sometimes causing injuries or even death, though such fights are rare in stable groups. Common reasons silverbacks fight include group dominance, when one male wants to take control; conflicts over females, if the leading silverback finds another male mating within the group; encounters between silverbacks from different groups, which can feel threatening to both sides; group breakups, when a silverback wants to leave and take some members to start a new family; and lone silverbacks attempting to take members from an existing group to form their own.
Mountain gorillas usually give warning signs before fighting, including groaning, loud hooting, hitting the ground, beating their chest, and tearing or throwing vegetation. If the other gorilla does not back down, a fight may follow. Mountain gorillas use their sharp canine teeth for biting and their strong arms for hitting, and can cause deep injuries or drag an opponent. Mountain gorillas rarely attack humans, especially habituated families accustomed to being around people.
Do All Gorillas Become Silverbacks?
Not all gorillas become silverbacks. Only male gorillas can become silverbacks as they grow older. Female gorillas and young males do not develop silver hair on their backs, so they are not called silverbacks.
Male gorillas that are grown but do not yet have silver hair are called blackbacks. They keep this name until the silver patch of hair appears on their backs, at which point they become silverbacks. You can see silverbacks in Uganda, Rwanda, or the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Silverbacks get their name from the silver or grey patch of hair that grows on their backs when they become sexually mature, usually around 12 years old. This grey hair signals to other gorillas that they are adult males.
Silverbacks also have more body hair than other gorillas and are quite large, often standing 5.5 to 6 feet tall when upright. An adult silverback can weigh up to 350 pounds and has a large bony crest on the top and back of the head, giving it a cone-like shape.
The silverback leads the group and is in charge of protecting the family, deciding where the group finds food, where they sleep, and where they go each day. The dominant silverback is the only male that mates with the females in the group, chosen largely for his strength and size.
Young males often leave the group and live alone for a while before starting their own family or fighting the dominant silverback to take control. If a silverback dies suddenly, another mature male in the group typically takes over leadership. If there is no other silverback available, the group may break apart, unless a lone silverback arrives to take control. A new silverback might kill the young males from the former leader to avoid future challenges as they mature.
Sometimes a silverback already within the group may challenge the dominant silverback, and these fights can be quite violent. If the rising male wins, the older silverback may leave the group; if he loses, the younger male might be forced out instead.
