Gorilla Trekking at Bwindi National Park
The park is located in the South Western Uganda on the edge of the western rift valley. Bwindi is home to over 350 endangered Mountain Gorillas which are quite possibly the most awe-inspiring animals to be found in Africa.
Gorillas
are the closest relative to man, and are 98% genetically identical.
they are often just as curious and enjoy looking at you as much as you
do at them. Extremely powerful and intelligent, it is hard to believe
that they are so close to extinction.
Mountain Gorilla Location & Habitat:
The Mountain Gorilla is located in the Mountain jungles of Zaire, Rwanda and Uganda.
A chain of eight volcanoes known as the Virungas runs through a western
section of the Rift Valley, forming part of the border between Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.
Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has more than half of the global population of an estimated population of 780 mountain gorillas. Located in south-western Uganda
bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo, this UNESCO World Heritage
site boasts over 326 mountain gorillas, the largest and rarest of all
ape species.
The Bwindi chimpanzee population size is unknown but estimated at 350-400. Bwindi the only forest in Africa
in which these two types of ape occur together. The forests where the
mountain gorillas live are often cloudy, misty and cold. At the bottom
of the mountains, the vegetation is very dense, becoming less so as you
go higher up
Mountain Gorilla Description:
Mountain
Gorillas are remarkably strong and have a short trunk and a broad chest
and shoulders. The Mountain Gorilla is the hairiest race of gorillas.
Its long, thick black hair insulates it from the cold living conditions
at high elevations. When the males are mature they develop a streak of
silver hair on their backs and are therefore called "silverbacks."
Adult male
gorillas can reach 400 pounds, while females can reach about 200
pounds. Female gorillas don't have the crest on the top of their heads
or silver on their backs like the males. When a silverback is standing
upright, they can be as tall as 5 and a half to six feet tall. Normally
gorillas walk on all fours, and are only about 3 and a half feet high
at the shoulder.
Mountain
gorillas have a slow rate of reproduction. This slow reproduction rate
makes this species even more threatened. In a 40-50 year lifetime, a
female might have only 2-6 living offspring. A male reaches sexual
maturity between 10 and 12 years. Able to conceive for only about three
days each month, the female produces a single young and in rare cases
twins.
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