How Do Gorillas Adapt to Their Environment? Mountain gorillas are stocky, friendly giants with broad chests, large arms, small eyes, and fearless faces.
They share 98.3% of their DNA with humans, just like chimpanzees and bonobos, making them close relatives of humans.
Mountain gorillas display human-like traits such as laughing, crying, clapping, and mourning their loved ones.
They are the largest primates in their natural habitat. In Uganda, they live in the tropical rainforests of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park. In Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, they occupy the Virunga Mountains.
Mountain gorillas are herbivores, feeding on vegetation such as leaves, shoots, roots, stems, bamboo, and sometimes small insects.
How Do Gorillas Adapt to Their Environment?
Below are some of the ways mountain gorillas adapt to their environment:
- Teeth and Digestion: Mountain gorillas have flat teeth and bacteria in their colons that help them chew, grind, and break down cellulose in their vegetative diet into a digestible form. Their large intestines process carbohydrates through fermentation.
- Strong Arms and Muscles: Gorillas have large arms with strong muscles, which help them move and gather foliage during their daily activities.
- Big Thumbs and Fingers: Their large thumbs and fingers make it easier for them to break shells off trees and fruits they eat.
- Communication: Gorillas use body language and vocalizations to communicate. They clap, hoot, thump, laugh, cry, and break trees to express their needs and emotions during social interactions.
- Thick Fur: Gorillas have thick, long fur that keeps them warm in the cold tropical forests and mountain ranges. It also protects them from insect bites.
- Dominant Silverback Leader: Each gorilla group has a dominant silverback as its leader. The silverback oversees the group’s activities, including their safety and protection.
- Excellent Senses: Gorillas have excellent body senses that help them detect danger and move away from risky areas.
- Broad Chests and Strength: Gorillas have broad chests and huge, strong bodies, which provide protection from attacks. This is especially true for the silverbacks, whose role is to defend the group.
Mountain gorillas have adapted to their environment in many ways, as discussed above, which helps them survive in their natural habitat.
