About the Silverback Gorilla
Silverback gorillas are the giant male gorillas with a
strong
What do silverbacks
eat?
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| A Silverback in Bwindi |
Like other gorillas, the silverbacks are herbivores and feed
on plant leaves, tree roots and fruits. For protein supplements, they feed on
safari ants. A silverback eats between 18kgs to 25kgs per day and weighs
between 180kgs to 250kgs on average.
Where do silverbacks
sleep?
They sleep in nests. Gorillas sleep in nests and each
individual makes its own nest every evening where it sleeps and never returns
to the same nest even if they spend another night in the same site. It instead
makes a new nest next to the old one!
How about Solitary
Silverbacks?
Some gorillas are not happy about sharing their females. The
dominant male takes the females and as he produces male gorillas, he chases
them out of the group, forcing them into a solitary life. During their solitary
existence, silverbacks feed intensively and exercise to gain more strength to
attack a social group with a weak leader.
If a leader of the social group defeats the silverback, it
returns to its solitary life and does more intensive training. With a bit of
luck, it may also grab one or two females from the group with whom he may
decide to start his own family. However, if he succeeds and beats the leader of
the social group, he takes over the group and kills all the young males in it
including the breastfeeding ones so that it can begin its new family without
any threats!
Planning a visit to the gorillas in Uganda or Rwanda? Get in
touch through info@gorillastours.com
for advice and help in planning a memorable gorilla safari.
