[ad_1]
Gorillas are the largest apes in the world, living on Earth for about 7 million years. These huge mammals are usually found in forests and mountain regions and are easily distinguished by their large size and thick black coat. Gorillas are closely related to humans and have a lifespan of 40 to 50 years, although some are known to live much longer.
But how old is the oldest gorilla? We will discover the oldest gorillas living today and see how they compare to the lifespan of other primates.
What types of gorillas exist and where do they live?
There are two types of gorillas – eastern and western – and each has two subspecies. The eastern gorilla subspecies are mountain gorillas and eastern lowland gorillas, and the western gorilla subspecies are Cross River gorillas and western lowland gorillas. Eastern gorillas are slightly larger than Western gorillas. The eastern lowland is the largest subspecies, and the western lowland is the smallest subspecies.
Gorillas are native to Africa, and their habitat depends on their subspecies. The eastern lowland gorillas – the largest – are endemic to the lowland rainforests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with males weighing about 450 pounds. Mountain gorillas live between 8,000 and 13,000 feet in the mountains of several national parks – Mhahinga and Bwindi National Parks in Uganda, Rwanda Volcanoes National Park and Virunga in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and males weigh around 400 pounds.
The Cross River gorillas are found only in the rainforest of Cameroon – the border with Nigeria around the Cross River and weigh about 400 pounds. Western lowland gorillas live in the forests and swamps of Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, and males weigh about 390 pounds.
There are some minor differences in appearance between the four subspecies, although they are all broadly similar. Mountain gorillas usually have a thicker coat to keep warm in freezing temperatures in the mountains, and a bony ridge on the top and back of their skulls that gives their heads a more colonial shape. All adult male gorillas have silver-gray hair on their back and rump, which is why they are commonly referred to as “silver backs.” Silverbacks are usually the largest gorillas, and some can reach over 6 feet upright.
The oldest gorilla in the world
The oldest gorilla is currently 64 years old. Fatu is a western lowland gorilla found at the Berlin Zoo. She was born in the wild in 1957 and brought to France by a sailor in 1959 before being sent to Berlin Zoo, where she has lived since then. She had one daughter named Duft, as well as many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. In April 2021, she celebrated her birthday with a special treat of fruits, vegetables, eggs and rice cakes that the zoos have prepared for the occasion.
Captive gorillas tend to live longer than gorillas in the wild, and the previous oldest gorilla was Trudy, which was also a western lowland gorilla. Trudy was born in the wild in 1956 and died in 2019 at the age of 63 at the Little Rock Zoo in Arkansas, USA. There is currently another gorilla alive, which is one of the oldest at the age of 63. Helen was born in 1958 and lives at the Louisville Zoo in the United States.
Gorillas vs. the oldest known apes
Compared to orangutans, gorillas live a little longer. The oldest living orangutan is 60 years old, and the oldest ever dead died in 2018 at the age of 62. Gorillas also live longer than monkeys, as the oldest recorded monkey was 54 years old. The average lifespan of a monkey is between 30 and 40 years, depending on the species.
However, chimpanzees live longer than gorillas. The oldest chimpanzee was 79 years old when she died, and several others live for over 65 years.
Gorilla behavior and social hierarchy
Most gorillas are herbivores and eat stems, bamboo shoots, and fruits. However, western lowland gorillas also eat ants and termites and break termite nests to eat the larvae.
One of the most amazing things about gorillas is that every night each gorilla builds a new nest in the vegetation to sleep on. They usually sleep alone, although babies will sleep with their mothers.
Gorillas live in flocks of about 30 animals, although Cross River gorillas live in the smallest groups and the silvery back always dominates. Gorillas do not mature until 10 years of age, and usually only a silvery back can mate with females. Gestation lasts 8.5 months and females give birth to one baby approximately every four to six years. Babies are in constant contact with their mother for the first six months of their life, and they breastfeed for almost three years.
Gorillas are usually very peaceful animals, and the range of one group often overlaps with the range of another group. Females are usually very calm and often groom their silvery backs. Males usually leave the group they were born in upon reaching puberty to avoid conflict with the silver back, and it is not uncommon for multiple males to form “bachelor groups”. Sometimes females with juveniles can leave the group to prevent the crossing of the silver back with their daughters.
When the silver back dies, another takes his place, and sometimes it may be one of his sons who remained in the group. If there is no replacement, the females will accept a new silvery bek into the group. However, when a new silversmith comes to power, he usually kills all existing babies in order to create more opportunities for mating for himself.
Conservation: Are Gorillas Threatened?
All four subspecies are believed to be endangered – mountain gorillas are classified as endangered and three other subspecies are endangered. The Cross River gorillas are the most endangered and are the rarest large ape in the world. It is estimated that there are fewer than 250 adult Cross River gorillas left in the world today.
Although the only natural predators of gorillas are leopards and crocodiles, we humans are considered their greatest threat, and a combination of habitat loss, disease and poaching has taken its toll on their numbers.
Habitat loss has been caused by mining, logging and agriculture, and the available range for gorillas has shrunk significantly. In addition, civil unrest in the regions where gorillas live has resulted in many forests being used as refuge for opposition groups and further reduced their habitat.
[ad_2]
Source link