Page 45 - Cornice_Grade 5

Study on

Gorillas

Introduction
We studied gorillas as part of grade 5’s Term II curriculum. Most of the information you’ll
get in this folder is from the book “Dian Fossey”. In this report, you’ll get information on gorillas
like their lifespan, amazing facts, physical features, food, population, behaviour, habitat, and other
informative data on gorillas. Hope you will find the information regarding gorillas interesting.

My findings
The average lifespan of gorillas is 30-40 years. They get poached for their meat,
medicines, etc. If they are healthy they live long. They mostly live in tropical forests. It is usually 23
degrees celsius and gives 12 hours of sunlight. They need cold nights with 10-22 degree Celsius.
They live in the forests of countries like Rwanda, Zaire, and Uganda. The gorillas have huge
bodies with four fingers. Each family has a leader, the silverback, who protects the family and
fathers the babies. Their eyes are of soft brown and tinted yellow. Their noses are very wide,
with huge nostrils, and one has different lines on top. Young gorillas have their fur all black. They
have broad chests and shoulders, large hands, and forearms. Their hair is black and hairless.
Usually, the weight of an adult male is 154 kilograms. They are very hairy. Gorillas have muscles in
their arms and legs.

They knucklewalk. To sleep, gorillas build often nests in the trees or the ground, after
using them once they never reuse them but they make new ones. They are very protective of
their children. Gorillas are champion acrobats. They spend most of the day eating. They are
peaceful animals. During the hottest part of the day, they take a nap. They show affection by
grooming each other. Some gorillas catch insects to put on wounds. Silverbacks are more aggres-
sive than other gorillas. They get emotional very quickly.

Adult gorillas can eat up to 30-40 kg of food each day. They are herbivores. They eat
celery stalks, bamboo shoots, berries, bananas, guavas, cucumber, apples, cabbage, broccoli, carrot,
and radish. They don’t drink water because they get all the hydration from the plants. They eat
more than 100 types of plants.