9 Facts About Gorillas, Can I keep a gorilla as a pet?
Our DNA looks a lot like gorillas. Only chimpanzees and bonobos come close to us at 99%. Because we match the genetic material, we look very much like gorillas in character and appearance! For example, gorillas are almost like humans. Did you notice they also have thumbs? With this thumb, they can hold things and use tools with ease. They also walk upright like us!
1. Gorilla have human emotion
Gorillas share genetic makeup with us, but they also seem highly intelligent. Some of this intelligence may translate into emotion. Although some scientists would argue that gorillas only appear to have human emotions, others adamantly feel that these giant apes do, in fact, experience emotions such as happiness and sadness.
2. They Live In Family Groups Called a Troop
Gorillas live in a family group called a troop. These troops usually consist of five to ten members, although they may have as large as fifty or as few as just a couple of members. A Silverback is a male chosen to lead the troop. One silverback will hold his position for many years.
3.Gorillas Are Not Strong Breeders
Unfortunately, they are not strong breeders, making it hard for them to recover from their declining status. The females become sexually mature at around seven or eight but do not usually begin breeding until a couple of years later. The males become sexually mature at an even older age.
4.There Are 4 Gorilla Subspecies
There are four subspecies of gorillas: cross river gorilla, mountain gorilla, western lowland gorilla, and eastern lowland gorilla. All species live in the Congo basin, although in slightly different areas. Cross River gorillas live in regions that humans densely populate since humans have encroached on their natural habitat, which has caused a significant decrease in the number of these beautiful beasts. As the name implies, the mountain gorilla lives specifically in the mountain ranges in the Congo and has much thicker fur to protect from the colder atmosphere.
5.Gorillas Are the Largest Primates
Gorillas are the largest of all the primates, which includes humans. They generally weigh up to 440 pounds but have been documented as high as 485 pounds. They stand 4-6 feet tall when standing on two feet but have broad shoulders, making them very wide. Western lowland gorillas tend to be the smallest, whereas the eastern lowland gorillas are the largest. According to Fox News, the St Louis Zoo had a gorilla named Phil that weighed 860 pounds and just under six feet, the most massive recorded gorilla as of 2014.
6.Gorillas Are Critically Endangered
All four subspecies of gorillas are critically endangered, which means they are at serious risk of becoming extinct. The only classification lower, aside from extinct, is extinct in the wild. There are only 200-300 cross river gorillas and 880 mountain gorillas in the wild. The population for both the western and eastern lowland gorillas is unknown.
7.They Are Considered Gentle Giants
Gorillas are very gentle and live as family units. They are plant-eating. Despite their peaceful nature, humans still need to be careful around them, as they are much stronger than humans and could endanger a person's life if the gorilla felt threatened.
8.They Act As Forest Regulators
These apes live in the rainforest as all other great apes do. The healthier the gorilla population, the more robust the rainforest is in that area. They not only eat much of its foliage, but its scat acts as a very rich fertilizer for the forest floor. In places where they live, plant life grows much quicker than in other areas.
9.Gorillas Eat Up To 40 Pounds of Food a Day
Gorillas love to eat and do so almost all day long. Since the bulk of their diet is plants, they require a large amount of food to maintain their sizeable muscular physique. They will eat up to forty pounds in one day, equal to eighteen kilograms of food.
Can I keep a gorilla as a pet?
No, gorillas are incredibly strong and smart, they can kill you easily so having a gorilla as a pet will mean you are in a situation between life and death everyday.
Gorillas are also very difficult to care for as they require a specialized diet and feed on large quantities of vegetation. They have habits that you certainly don't want in your house.
Of course, if you want a gorillas as a pet, our stuffed gorillas plush toy can be the perfect substitute!
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