Gorilla

고릴라

The largest primate, with big males approaching 180 kg. A mature male's back turns silver, earning him the name silverback, and he leads the family group. They eat mostly leaves and fruit and beat their chests to show strength.

See it on the 3D globe →

At a glance

Class: Mammals
Lives in: Odzala, Republic of the Congo
Diet: Plant eater (herbivore)
Weight: about 120 kg
Length: about 1.6 m
Top speed: about 40 km/h
Lifespan: up to about 60 years
Conservation status: Critically Endangered (IUCN CR)
Habitat: rainforests, forests

Quick answers

Where does the Gorilla live?

It lives in rainforests, forests. On the globe you can find it near Odzala, Republic of the Congo.

How big is the Gorilla?

It grows to about 1.6 m and 120 kg.

What does the Gorilla eat?

Its diet: plant eater (herbivore).

How fast is the Gorilla?

It can reach about 40 km/h.

How long does the Gorilla live?

It can live up to about 60 years.

Is the Gorilla endangered?

It is listed as Critically Endangered (IUCN CR).

Gorillas are the largest primates. This page uses the western lowland gorilla, the smallest of the four gorilla subspecies and a critically endangered one. It lives in the forests and swamps of central Africa, in Angola's Cabinda Province, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. It is the only gorilla subspecies kept in most zoos.

It has jet-black skin and coarse black hair on most of the body. An adult male standing upright can be up to about 1.8 metres tall, with an average weight of 140 kilograms; females average 70. The hair on a male's back turns grey as he matures, which is why a full-grown male is called a silverback. Gorillas walk on four limbs with their knuckles on the ground, and their arm span is wider than their standing height.

Family life

A gorilla group has one dominant male, five to seven adult females, their young and sometimes a few lower-ranking males. The silverback leads the group. Females have a baby only about once every five years and cannot breed before about nine or ten years old, so the population grows slowly. Gorillas communicate with many gestures and sounds. Males in captivity can reach even heavier weights, up to 275 kilograms.

What do they eat?

Most of the diet is plants: leaves, stems, roots and fruit. Gorillas also eat termites for extra protein. Large muscles in the jaw and broad, strong teeth, with big molars for grinding, help them process their food. Our card also says that a gorilla may beat its chest to show strength. Their hands are large, with nails on every finger, like ours, and very big thumbs.

Fun facts

Adult male gorillas are called silverbacks because of the silver hair on their backs.
A gorilla's arms stretch wider than its standing height.
There is only one known albino gorilla, named Snowflake, who lived in the Barcelona Zoo.