Where to Find low land Gorillas
Western lowland gorillas are one of the two subspecies of the western gorilla that can be found in the Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Equatorial Guinea as well as in large areas in Gabon and the Republic of Congo. The exact number of western lowland gorillas is not known because they inhabit some of the most dense and remote rain forests in Africa. A significant population still exists, including in isolated swamps and in the remote swampy forests of the Republic of Congo.
These lowland gorillas can be distinguished from other gorilla subspecies by their no possession of tails and having jet black skin along with coarse black hair that covers their entire body except for the face, ears, hands and feet.
The hair on the back and rump of males takes on a grey coloration and is also lost as they get progressively older. This coloration is the reason why older males are known as "silverbacks". Their hands are proportionately large with nails on all hands, similar to those of human's, with very large thumbs. They have short muzzles, a prominent brow ridge, large nostrils and small eyes and ears. Other features are large muscles in the jaw region along with broad and strong teeth. Among these teeth are strong sets of frontal canines and large molars in the back of the mouth for grinding fruits and vegetables.
Western Low Land Gorilla Social Structure
These Gorilla groups travel within
a home range averaging 8 to 45 km2. Gorillas do not display
territorial behavior, and neighboring groups often overlap ranges. The groups
usually favour certain areas within the home range but seem to follow a
seasonal pattern depending on the availability of ripening fruits and at some
sites that are localized large open clearings (swamps). 
These Gorilla populations feed on high energy foods that vary spatially and seasonally and tend to have greater day ranges than those feeding on lower quality but more consistently available foods. Larger groups travel greater distances in order to obtain sufficient food.
A group of gorillas is led by one or more adult males. In cases where there are more than one silverback males in a group, they are most likely father and son. Groups containing only one male are believed to be the basic unit of the social group, gradually growing in size due to reproduction and new members migrating in.
Gorillas harvest most of their food arbor ally, but less than half of their night nests are built in trees. They are often found on the ground and are made up of up to 30 gorillas. Western lowland gorillas live in the smallest family groups of all gorillas, with an average of 4 to 8 members in each. The leader (the silverback) organizes group activities, like eating, nesting and traveling in their home range. Those who challenge this alpha male are apt to be cowed by impressive shows of physical power. He may stand upright, throw things, make aggressive charges, and pound his huge chest with open or cupped hands while barking out powerful hoots or unleashing a frightening roar. Despite these displays and the animals' obvious physical power, gorillas are generally calm and non aggressive unless they are disturbed.
Intelligence of Low Land Gorillas
Western low land gorillas intelligence is displayed
through their ability to fashion natural materials into tools that help them
gather food more conveniently. The gorillas are able to adapt tools to a
particular use by selecting branches, removing projections such as leaves and
bark and adapting their length to the depth of the holes.
They
also anticipate the use of the tool since they begin with biggest sticks
available and progressively modify it until it is the perfect fit for inserting
into a hole that contains food. This demonstrates the gorillas' acquisition of
high level sense of intelligence similar to that of a young human child.
Western Lowland Gorilla Diets
Since they are primarily herbivores, the main diet of
western lowland gorilla groups is roots, shoots, fruit, wild celery, tree bark
and pulp which is provided for in the thick forests of central and west Africa.
During the wet season gorillas commonly consume fruits. While in the dry
season, there is a decrease in the consumption of fleshy fruits, but they still
continue to eat other kinds of fruits. The diversity of fruits consumed was
higher in the poor fruit year, when favored fruit species, failed to produce
large crops. They may also eat insects
from time to time. The common food items within fiber are the herbaceous stems. Important food species have been divided
into three categories, staple foods which are eaten on a daily / weekly basis
throughout the year, seasonal foods which are present with the majority of
resources when available and fallback foods which are always available, but eaten
only or mainly during fruit scarce months. The
adult will eat around 18 kg (40 lb) of food per day. Gorillas will climb trees up to 15 meters in
height in search of food. They never completely strip vegetation from a single
area since the rapid re-growth of the vegetation allows them to stay within a
reasonably confined home range for extended periods of time. The western lowland gorilla eats a combination of
fruits and foliage, providing a balance of nutrients, depending on the time of
year. However, when ripe fruit are available, they tend to eat more fruit as
opposed to foliage. When ripe fruit are in scarce supply, they eat leaves,
herbs and bark. During the rainy months of July and August, fruits ripen;
however, in the dry seasons, ripe fruit are scarce. Gorillas choose fruit that
are high in sugar for energy as well as fiber.
Western Lowland Gorilla Habitat
These gorillas live primarily in rainy and swampy forests, brush, secondary vegetation, clearing and forest edges, abandoned farming fields and riverine forests. They live in primary and secondary lowland tropical forests that have elevations that extend from sea level up to 1,300 meters. The average amount of rainfall in the areas where western lowland gorillas typically reside is about 1,500 millimeters a year. Western lowland gorillas are not typically observed in areas that are close to human settlements and villages. They have been known to avoid areas with roads and farms that show signs of human activity. These gorillas favor areas where edible plants are more copious hence Swamp forests are now considered important feeding areas and habitats for the western lowland gorilla.
These areas support the gorillas in both the wet and the dry season of the forest. The forests of the Republic of Congo are currently considered to host the majority of the western lowland gorilla population. The forests of the Republic of Congo serve as protection to the gorillas with the isolation of the large swampy forest areas.
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