Gorillas

Gorillas are very interesting animals, because they are so human like, with 92-98% of their DNA being shared with a human. A Gorilla is a primate, the largest, in fact. They live in the forests of Africa and mainly feed on vegetarian food such as fruits, leaves, and shoots, but they also eat some insects.

Gorillas move around by knuckle-walking. Adult males are very large, ranging in weight from 140-165 kg and height from 165 to 175cm, which is the same height as me! Adult females are approximately hafl the weight of the Adult males. The female Gorillas wait 3-4 years between the births of their babies, and the child stays with the mother for 3-4 years. Females mature quicker than males at 10-12 years whilst the males mature at 11-13 years. The average lifespan for a Gorilla is 30-50 years.

There are two species of Gorilla, and both of these are endangered, due to intense poaching, habitat destruction and the bushmeat trade. Gorillas are highly intelligent and some living in captivity have learned sign language.

Gorillas are quite popular in our culture, and have been since the 30's and 40's, when King Kong and Mighty Joe Black brought Gorillas into the limelight. Gorillas have often been used in comic books and gorilla costumes are very popular today.

- Rosina, 15, England