Physical Characteristics
The Gorilla is the largest of the living primates. Few animals have sparked the imagination of man as much as the gorilla. Most gorillas live in inaccessible regions in various dense tropical forests in Africa, and one subspecies, the mountain gorilla, was not even known to science until 1902.
The mountain gorilla is very physical and has a robust build with long, muscular arms, a massive chest, and broad hands and feet. It is the most hairy of the gorilla race; its long, thick black hair protecting it from the cold of living at high elevations.
Habitation
The world's remaining mountain gorillas live within four national parks in East and Central Africa.
One population of mountain gorillas inhabits the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda and consists of about 340 gorillas according to a census in 2003.
The other population of mountain gorillas - Approximately 380 gorillas - is found in a mountainous region referred to as the Virungas, which includes Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Behavior and Habits
Although strong and powerful, gorillas are generally gentle and shy in manner. They live in groups consisting of 2-40 individuals, averaging about 11 in a troop. Groups are led by a dominant male, the silverback, named for the silvery gray hairs that grow when the male matures. The silverback serves as the chief leader and protector of the group, to whom all group members defer. He decides when and where to forage, rest and sleep, arbitrates disputes among his family members and provides protection from rival silverbacks or human predators.
Due to the slow rate of reproduction among the Mountain Gorillas, the species is threatened with extinction. In a 40-50 year life span, a female might have only 2-6 living offspring. Females give birth for the first time at about age 10 and will have offspring every four years or more. 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.

Gorillas life cycles closely resembles that of the humans. Newborn gorillas are weak and tiny, weighing about 4 pounds. Their movements are as awkward as those of human infants, but their development is roughly twice as fast. At 3 or 4 months, the gorilla infant can sit upright and can stand with support soon after. It suckles regularly for about a year and is gradually weaned at about 3.5 years, when it becomes more independent.
Diet
The Gorillas are Herbivorous with their meals gathered from roughly over 100 different species of plants. It is perhaps surprising that an animal as large and strong as the mountain gorilla is primarily an herbivore. They rarely need to drink since their diet is so rich in succulent herbs, from which they get their water.
Threat and Predators

The primary threat to mountain gorillas comes from forest encroachment through clearance and degradation by humans, as the region's growing human population struggles to eke out a living. Their are efforts by the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), in collaboration with Fauna and Flora International and World Wide Fund for Nature, to safeguard the last remaining mountain gorillas through the establishment of the International Gorilla Conservation Program (IGCP)
IGCP works on three levels: Strengthening gorilla habitat protection through regional collaboration, researching the dynamic between the human population and the natural habitat/wildlife, and working with local communities to develop livelihood strategies that are complementary to conservation objectives.
This coalition has been a tremendous success, but support is still greatly needed. The most endangered of the gorilla subspecies, only about 720 mountain gorillas remain in the wild.
Thought You Should Know

• That there are only about 720 mountain gorillas left in the world.

• Humans and gorillas are 98% genetically identical.

• Male silverback gorillas can weigh 50-100 pounds more - and are about 10 times stronger - than the biggest American football players.

• When the group is attacked by humans, leopards, or other gorillas, the silverback will protect them even at the cost of his own life.