Gorilla Nest

Gorillas are among the intelligent primates the world host today. They are capable of using tools like sticks, stones and pods among others. They use sticks to scoop termites from the ground, stones for defense and pods to collect drinking water from the streams.

Gorillas stay together in large groups known as 'troops'. Each troop consists of members ranging from 12 to 40 depending on the size of the habitat.

The females take good care of their young ones and they communicate with each other in a variety of ways. They not only warn their troop members of the approaching dangers, but also warn others to stay away from them.

A male silver back Gorilla, an adult of 13 years or more, is the head of each group. Only this Gorilla is allowed to mate with the female gorillas of the troop.

The other male members leave the troop once they mature and go on to form their own troops.

Females also leave the troop after maturity, in order to find a suitable silver back so that they can be a part of his troop.

The usual diet of a Gorilla consists of flowers, fruits, leaves, stems, bamboo, etc. The eastern lowland gorillas however, indulge in ants and other small insects, alongside vegetal matter.

Gorillas do not sleep in one nest twice….. Gorillas sleep in nests, which they build on the ground or in trees, depending on various variables, such as the vegetation and the security situation. Every evening mountain gorillas construct a new nest, even if it is only a few meters from the nest they used the night before. Each animal builds its own nest; only infants sleep in the same nest as their mothers. About half an hour before it gets dark the gorillas settle in the nest. Occasionally, they also build nests for the midday rest.

To build a ground nest, the animals pull the branches of bushes and other plants into the centre, layer them and anchor them to each other. Other plants are bent in to form the nest rim. Tree nests are built mainly in forks of branches or similar structures. The nest has to be constructed in such a way that it can carry the weight of the gorilla. Females and young animals prefer to sleep in trees, whereas silver back males hardly ever do.