Gorilla Habitat
A Look Into The Ideal Gorilla Habitat
Gorilla habitat preferences will have to do with two different factors. The first is the availability of food sources, and this is a rather large concern especially now, with the human population expanding so dramatically into their prime foraging territories. The second factors which are imperative to a proper gorilla habitat are the subspecies particularities which need to be met. Though gorillas are migratory, and the groups try to avoid each other rather than duke it out, the three subspecies are separated by the regions to which they are indigenes. The western lowland, the eastern lowland, and the mountain gorillas are quite alike, but they could lose out on longevity if they lose much more of their natural resources.
Gorilla habitat has to have enough greenery and foliage to support a great many creatures on a daily basis. A full grown, male silverback gorilla can easily consume 200 pounds of food each day, mostly in the form of rich leaves and plant life. Though he only needs about 60 pounds of food to sustain proper weight and nutritional levels, this is still a big pull on the environment. In an average group, there are approximately 30 gorillas, and these guys could deplete an entire acre of plush forest land within days. These primates don’t ever stay in one place too long, however, and will continue to move steadily throughout the gorilla habitat in search of new and more interesting food sources.
The proper gorilla habitat will have plenty of trees and young, tender shoots of plants and grass. They do not need an additional source of water, as the foods that they acquire offer substantial fluids and are therefore fully balanced. Mama eats with her babies, teaching them what is good and what is not, and the youngsters will stay by the females and leave the males to their devices. This is primarily a peaceful and laid back lifestyle, but if a rogue male should show up out of the blue and attempt to steal a female, things can get ferociously ugly in no time flat.
Most primates are not terribly territorial, and the gorilla habitat is large and plentiful enough to sustain many groups within a few miles of each other. Infringement is tolerable, unless there is a challenge made for dominance or thievery between clans. These are no small, amiable creatures, and they will use every ounce of their might, brute strength, agility, massive teeth, and aggression against each other until only one stands tall. Fights are often to the death, but under some lucky circumstances the loser is able to escape and recover from his wounds, both physical and emotional, in defeated solitude.