The Evolution of Gorillas into Silverbacks

Not all gorillas become silverbacks; only male gorillas become silverbacks as they mature. The female gorillas and young males don’t develop silver hair on their backs, so they can’t be called silverbacks.

The male gorillas that are mature but have not yet developed silver hair are called blackbacks until they develop that patch of hair. Only then can they be called silverbacks.

You can see them when on gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda, Rwanda, or DR Congo.

Silverback gorillas are called so because they develop a saddle-shaped area of silver hair on their backs when they reach sexual maturity, at about the age of 12 years old. The grey hair is for display and communication to other gorillas that they are mature males.

Silverbacks are also known to be the hairiest of all other gorillas. They are also very large, standing 5.5 to 6 feet tall when they stand upright.

A mature silverback can weigh up to 350 pounds and has a large bony crest on the tops of their skulls and backs, giving their heads a conical shape.

Silverbacks are always responsible for taking care of the group, including protection from predators. The silverback makes decisions on where to forage for food, where to sleep, and also where the family travels every day.

The dominating male in the family is the only one that can mate with all the group females, and the females choose him for his size and strength.

The upcoming males normally leave the group and become lone males for some time until they form their own family, or they may fight the dominating silverback in order to take over the group.

When a silverback gorilla dies abruptly, the next mature male will take over the group’s leadership.

If there is no other silverback in the group, it will be dispersed unless another lone silverback comes to take over the leadership. The new silverback sometimes kills all the other male infants of the former silverback to avoid being threatened when they grow up.

A silverback from within the group can also challenge and fight the dominating silverback, usually resulting in a brutal fight leading to the old silverback leaving the group or the rising silverback being abandoned by the group.

In conclusion, not all gorillas become silverbacks; only males become silverbacks at around the age of 12 years old.

Gorilla FAQs & Information

1. Why Can’t You Look or Make Eye Contact with a Gorilla?
2. Why Silverback Gorillas Fight
3. Importance of Mountain Gorillas
4. What to do when a gorilla charges on you
5. What is The Largest Species of Gorillas?
6. What is a Group of Gorillas Called?
7. What is the Mountain Gorillas Role in The Ecosystem?
8. The Mountain Gorilla Defense Mechanism
9. How to Provoke/Annoy a Gorilla
10. How Gorillas Greet Each Other
11. Do Gorillas like Humans
12. Do gorillas Eat of Kill Their Babies?
13. Do Gorillas Eat Humans?
14. Can you Tame a Gorilla
15. Can you Own a Gorilla?
16. Do Mountain Gorillas live in Families & Groups?
17. How to Protect & Save Mountain Gorillas
18. Why Gorillas Are So Strong
19. How Many Humans Does it Take to Beat a Gorilla?
20. How do you call a Baby Gorilla?
21. How Do Gorillas Sleep?
22. How Mountain Gorillas Communicate
23. The Gorilla Life Cycle
24. Do Gorillas drink water?
25. Are Gorillas friendly & gentle to humans?
26. Why do Apes, Gorillas beat their chest & sound hollow?
27. Gorilla Threats: Why Mountain Gorillas were endangered?
28. Why were Mountain Gorillas going extinct?
29. What is a Silverback Gorilla?
30. Gorilla Species: Different Kinds/Types of Gorilla & Breeds
31. Mountain Gorilla Diet
32. Mountain Gorilla Size, Average Height & Weight Measurements
33. Natural Mountain Gorilla Predators
34. Mountain Gorilla Population
35. Lifespan of Mountain Gorillas
36. Mountain Gorilla Natural Habitat
37. Mountain Gorilla Conservation Efforts
38. Mountain Gorilla Behavior
39. How to Survive a Gorilla Attack on Humans
40. Are Gorillas Dangerous to the People
41. Why are Gorillas Poached in Africa
42. How Gorillas Adapt to Rain-forest Environment
43. Interesting Facts about Mountain Gorillas in Africa
44. Traits, Qualities & Characteristics of Mountain Gorillas
45. How Strong is a Silverback Gorilla?
46. Best Place to See Mountain Gorillas in Africa
47. Uganda Gorilla Families
48. Rwanda Gorilla Families
49. Congo Gorilla Families