Mountain gorilla diet (how does a mountain gorilla get its food)
Mountain gorillas are a subspecies of the Eastern gorilla habited in the countries of Uganda , Rwanda and Democratic republic of Congo .
Mountain gorillas live in the tropical rainforests at an altitude of 8000ft to 13000ft .
The physical characteristics of mountain gorillas are darker and have thick fur , broad head , flat nose, large teeth , large hands and feet among others.
Mountain gorillas diet is made up of 90% vegetation such as plant leaves, stems , seeds, shoots, roots, flowers, and fruits and then invertabrates ie small insects and snails.
Mountain gorillas spend most of their day eating and this enables them to keep strong as they move. Mountain gorilla as well donot drink water but the vegetation they eat contains water thus keeping them hydrated always .
Mountain gorillas need a lot of food to survive in their habitats and thus they feed all day long .
An adult male mountain gorilla cn eat up to 30kg of vegetation per day while an adult female can eat up to 18kg of vegetation per day.
How does a mountain gorilla get its food
Mountain gorillas are known for their strength and so they use it to breakup the vegetation they want to eat.
Their teeth and hands help them to get to the part of the plant they want to eat.
Eating habits of gorillas
Mountain gorillas spend the all day searching for food and eating . They wake up very early in the morning to search for the est place where they csn feed led by a silverback.
Mountain gorillas are very conservative as they eat ie when they eat the leaves they donot eat the roots of the same plant but instead search for another place and eat the roots.
Mountain gorillas donot feed for long in an area but keep moving from one area to another and this helps the vegetation to grow.
Eating time of mountain gorillas
Mountaingorillas have 2 main eating periods in the whole day ie
Morning
Gorillas wake up and begin searching for food for about 3 to 4 hours and after they will rest at midday .
Evening
Mountain gorillas will feed again after their resting and its after this that they head to construct their nests to sleep.
Cost of gorilla permits
Rwanda
A gorilla permit in Rwanda costs USD 1500 for tourists from outside Africa
USD 200 for Rwandan citizens and East African citizens .
Uganda
Agorilla permit costs USD 800 for foreign non residents
USD 700 for foreign residents
UGX 300,000 for Ugandan citizens
Democratic Republic of Congo
A gorilla permit costs USD 400 for foreign tourists.
USD 150 for Congolese residents.
