Mountain Gorilla Predators – Mountain gorillas are wild, friendly forest animals that live in mountainous areas. They have thicker and darker fur compared to other gorilla species.
They are very strong, with distinct features such as broad chests, large hands and feet, and small eyes.
Mountain gorillas are friendly vegetarians. They mainly eat leaves, roots, shoots, stems, fruits, and bamboo found in the forests where they live.
Mountain gorillas live in groups and sleep in nests made from branches and leaves.
Mountain gorillas are the largest subspecies of primates in the world. They live in the Virunga Mountains in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. They share 98% of their DNA with humans, making them our closest cousins.
Predators are animals that hunt other animals for food. They are carnivores and part of the ecosystem.
Natural Predators of Mountain Gorillas
The only natural predator of mountain gorillas is the leopard, due to its size and strength as a big cat.
However, leopards usually hunt baby and infant gorillas because adult gorillas are too large and strong to challenge.
Leopards also avoid hunting large gorilla families because they fear retaliation from the group.
Humans as Predators
Humans are the biggest threat to mountain gorillas. Some harmful activities include:
- Hunting for Meat and Trophies: Poachers kill adult gorillas to capture their infants for sale.
- Crop Protection: People living near forests sometimes kill gorillas for eating their crops.
- Illegal Pet Trade: Some people capture gorillas to keep them as pets in private zoos.
- Traditional Practices: Some traditional healers kill gorillas for spiritual rituals and use their body parts as charms.
- Traps: Gorillas can die in traps set for other wild animals, like antelopes.
How Mountain Gorillas Protect Themselves
Mountain gorillas have developed ways to protect themselves from predators:
- When a silverback senses danger, it releases a strong smell and makes loud noises to alert the group.
- The rest of the family huddles around the silverback, often hugging each other for safety.
- Other silverbacks or black-backs may lead the family to safety while the dominant silverback fights off the threat. Sometimes, other silverbacks help in the fight.
Mountain gorilla predators are a serious threat to their already endangered population.
