Wild Animals A-Z

Mammals
Mammals » Wild Animals A-Z »

Gorilla

A Complex, Social Ape: The gorilla is the largest of the primates. Adult males are often twice the size of females and have a silvery back when fully mature. They live in highly complex social groups led by a dominant male in the lowland and swamp forests of Central and Equatorial Africa.

Avoiding Conflict: Gorillas use several techniques to avoid confrontation when threatened. They may "yawn" to show off their large canine teeth or beat their chest while hooting or barking.

In Decline: The gorilla faces many threats in the wild, including slash-and-burn forest clearing, illegal hunting for the bushmeat trade and trophy poaching.

Explore More

MORE PRIMATES

Chimpanzee
Meet Jane Goodall's BFF (best friend forever): the chimpanzee.

Orangutan
The orangutan: red-headed step child of the primate family?

Monkey
Monkeys: too smart for their own good? Maybe!

Baboon
One group of monkeys you really don't want to mess with.

Lemur
Have you heard? Ring-tailed is the new black.

MORE GORILLA

VIDEO: A Gorilla Play Date

VIDEO: Back Off!

VIDEO: A Close Encounter

VIDEO: Sigourney Revisits Gorillas

QUIZ: Gorilla Quiz

HELP: Adopt a Gorilla

INTERACTIVE: Anatomy of a Gorilla

PUZZLES: Gorilla Puzzles

DID YOU KNOW?

One of a Kind: No two gorillas have the same "nose print," or nose pattern, much like how two humans have identical fingerprints. In fact, researchers use nose prints to identify individual gorillas.

The Simple Life: A gorilla's life is pretty simple. They spend 30 percent of their waking hours eating, 30 percent traveling and 40 percent resting and sleeping.
The Hair Has It: Grooming is an important part of gorilla society. It helps establish and reinforce bonds and friendships. It also promotes cleanliness, as gorillas comb through thick fur to remove parasites.

Distant Cousins: Gorillas are the next closest living relatives to humans after chimpanzees, sharing 98 to 99 percent of the same DNA.