Description of Mountain Gorillas.

Mountain gorillas are physically distinct from lowland gorillas. They are larger, have much hair, a short trunk, a broad chest / shoulders and also have a longer / slightly different nose shape. They are born small, covered with black hair and usually weigh about 2.3 kilograms. Gorillas develop about as twice as human babies with the mature female mother also undergoing a gestation period of 9 months. They are unique species; as a gorilla with an infant may not have another baby up to four years – good family planning.

A gorilla tracking safari to Uganda or Rwanda will provide you with a variety of information about these great apes which includes; Male and female young gorillas between the ages of three and six are classed as juvenile. During this period, both the male and female gorillas have a black skin and thick black hair and usually weigh about 2.3 kilograms. They increase in size and weight at similar rates for the first six years. On reaching six years; most Mountain gorillas weigh about 68 kilograms and are usually about 4 feet tall.

Gorilla trekking in either Bwindi of Virunga identifies the female Mountain gorilla which  stop growing taller as they mature at around six years; this is as opposed to the male Mountain gorillas which continue growing both in size and weight past the age of six till they reach the ages of ten to eleven.

Between the ages of six and ten years, male gorillas have a black hair colour and are thus referred to as the black bucks. On reaching maturity which is usually between 10 and 12 years, the male Mountain Gorillas develop silvery grey hairs on their backs thereby being referred to as Silverbacks.

A gorilla expedition will award you by watching silverbacks which usually leave their parental group at the age of 11 and then move alone or in the company of other males for a few years before managing to attract females from other groups to them hence forming their own families. Silver back is a dominant male in a group of about 12 or more gorillas that usually include females, juveniles and other infants.

These gorilla characteristics have greatly attracted many mountain gorilla trekking safaris hence improving the tourism sector in Uganda.