Resource 4: Mountain gorilla

 Example of pupils' work

The mountain gorilla has longer and darker hair than other gorilla species, meaning it can live at high altitudes and travel into areas where temperatures drop below freezing. Male gorillas usually weigh twice as much as females of the species. Adult males also have more pronounced bony crests on the top and back of their skulls, giving their heads a more conical shape. These crests anchor the massive muscles of their large jaws. Adult females also have these crests, but they are much less pronounced. Adult males are called silverbacks. When they reach sexual maturity, a saddle of grey or silver-coloured hair develops on their backs. The hair on their backs is shorter than on most other body parts, and their arm hair is especially long. Upright, males reach 1.5–1.8 m in height, with an armspan of 2.25 m, and weigh 204–227 kg. Mountain gorilla (Virunga National Park, Rwanda)

Like all great apes other than humans, its arms are longer than its legs. It moves by knuckle-walking, supporting its weight on the backs of its curved fingers rather than its palms.

The mountain gorilla is diurnal, most active between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Many of these hours are spent eating, as large quantities of food are needed to sustain its massive bulk. It forages in the early morning, rests during the late morning and around midday, and forages again in the afternoon before resting at night. Each gorilla builds a nest from surrounding vegetation to sleep in, constructing a new one every evening. Only infants sleep in the same nest as their mothers. They leave their sleeping sites when the sun rises at around 6 a.m, except when it is cold and overcast; then they often stay longer in their nests.

Useful organisation to contact

Office Rwandaise du Tourisme et des Parcs Nationaux (ORTPN) The Rwanda Tourism Board Boulevard de la Révolution n° 1 PO Box 905 Kigali, Rwanda Tel: +250 576514/573396 Fax: +250 576515 Adapted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_gorilla