Silverback Gorillas Weight, Strength, Habitat, Facts & Tours
Silverback Gorillas are the oldest gorilla specie with greyish backs and arguably the largest primates on the planet. Silverback Gorillas normally lead the gorilla families, have outstanding size and happen to be the strongest among the group.
Primates lovers fancy silverback gorillas and this is one reason we detailed every aspect of the this wonderful ape from their characteristics to their habitat and tours.
They inhabit two protected regions in Africa; the Virunga Mountain ranges which comprises Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda and Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in southwestern Uganda.
Together with bonobos and chimpanzees, mountain gorillas are man’s closest relatives sharing about 98% of their DNA with humans. This habit is highlighted by the fact that they display many human-like behaviours and emotions, such as laughter, sadness, and other problem-solving instincts.
These gentle giants are also referred to as mountain gorillas because they live in mountainous or high land regions all their lives.
Silverback gorillas continually wander through mountainous regions with thick forest covers ranging between 10 and 15 square miles, munching, grooming, protecting his family and resting throughout the day. Therefore in this article, we have shared some facts about Silverback gorillas including Weight, Strength, Lifespan, and habitat.
Gorilla Species
There exists two main species of gorillas which are; the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla. The western gorilla is divided into two subspecies; the western lowland gorilla and the cross river gorilla.
Eastern gorilla is divided into mountain gorilla and the Eastern Lowland gorilla. The Eastern Lowland gorilla is the largest of all gorilla subspecies followed by the mountain gorilla while the Cross River gorilla is the smallest of all.
What’s the Difference Between a Gorilla and a Silverback?
Silverback refers to a mature male gorilla. The name doesn’t refer to any particular species of gorilla. A silverback is distinguished by the silver saddle of hair or grayish-white hairline down their back, usually a male gorilla that is too old to be a juvenile while one that is too young to be a silverback is referred to as a blackback.
A male gorilla (blackback) becomes an adult at about 8 years of age. This is the time most of them leave a group to live alone or join other males. This is the time when the fur down their back become greyish in color at about 12 to 13 years of age to become fully grown and be called silverbacks.
Why are Gorillas called Silverbacks?
Gorillas are called silverbacks when they start growing a saddle-shaped area of greyish-white hair that runs across their back and hips.
This is the same time they have reached sexual maturity at the age between 8 and 12 years old. This greyish-white hair also serves as a reminder to other gorillas that they are now mature.
Physical Characteristics of Silverback Gorillas:
Silverback Gorilla Size.
A silverback mountain gorilla has longer and thicker fur and a broad chest, longer muscular arms and legs, and wide feet and hands compared to other gorilla species.
Silverback Gorilla Height.
A silverback gorilla stands between 1.5 meters and 1.8 meters in height which is about 4 feet 11 inches and 5 feet 11 inches.
The arm span of a silverback gorilla can reach up to 8 feet (2.4 meters), which is significantly longer than their standing height. This long arm span is crucial for their locomotion and ability to gather food.
Silverback Gorilla Weight.
A silverback weighs up to 270 kilograms. It is much larger than a female and has a larger head, and body while females weigh 227 kilograms. It also weighs approximately 350 pounds- about twice the weight of a normal adult man.
Silverback Gorilla Strength.
A silverback gorilla strength is estimated to be about 10 times their body weight. They can lift over 800kg (1763 pounds) of dead weight which is roughly twice as much as a professional weightlifter.
How Long can a Silverback Gorilla Live?
Social Structure:
Gorillas live in groups or families, each led by a patriarchal Silverback. It is meant to protect and defend the family against any threats by standing erect on its hind legs, drumming on the chest with its hands or fists, tearing up and throwing plants, stamping its feet, striking the ground with its palms and galloping in a mock attack on all fours!
Although there can be multiple silverbacks in a group or family, there is can only be one dominant male (except in rare instances of matriarch-led troops). The ultimate goal of the dominant male is to maximize chances of reproductive success.
Although a blackback is mature sexually, it is not physically strong enough to challenge for dominance. So once a blackback develops into a silverback, he may either form a coalition with the dominant silverback or challenge for control of the family.
Mature females usually swap families. They migrate from one family to another to improve reproductive chances and avoid inbreeding.
No matter the family a female joins after maturity, she will strive to have close contact and a strong bond with the dominant silverback. This helps prevent harassment from blackbacks and reduces the threat of hostility from non-related females encountered through migration.
How Intelligent is a Silverback Gorilla?
Gorillas are intelligent gentle giants in such a way that they can communicate with others through vocalisation, gestures, facial expressions and body language.
Where Do Silverback Gorillas Live in the World?
Silverback Gorillas Diet;
Silverback Gorillas are known to eat over 142 plant species in the wild which mainly compose leafy plant parts such as leaves, stems and shoots off plants and sometimes edible roots, fruits, flowers and occasionally eat odd insects, snails, and grubs taking up 2% of their diet.
Silverbacks rarely drink water. Their diet majorly consists of succulent vegetation with water and morning dew.
Why Do Silverbacks Beat their Chest?
Silverback mountain gorillas beat their chest when they feel threatened or attacked by an enemy gorilla that doesn’t belong to his family, predator like lion other wild animals as well as humans. Beating their chest is a form of warning to the intruder or enemy.
They also beat their chests to show female gorillas how strong they are and therefore attract them for mating.
A silverback beats its chests if he feels challenged by a blackback (a male gorilla not mature enough to be called silverback). This may be a result of competition for dominance.
What Can Beat a Silverback Gorilla?
Predators such as leopards and lions can beat a silverback gorilla. These animals can hunt them and pose a big threat to the primates. Most venomous animals like snakes can also kill gorillas and of course, humans if they’re armed.
Are Silverbacks Aggressive or Violent?
A silverback is always peaceful and gentle and rarely uses force. However, he only becomes aggressive when it encounters a threat or intruders against his family, or if it wants to assert dominance.
Intruders can mean predators like leopards, males from other families, stubborn members of his family, or humans visiting a family that is not habituated (made accustomed to human presence).
When a silverback gorilla recognizes a threat, he will first attempt to warn off the intruder. He does this by standing erect on his hind legs while beating/drumming on the chest with fists.
Conservation of Silverback Gorillas;
Silverback gorillas were not even known to exist until 1902. Today, their natural habitat is being threatened and destroyed by people who use the land for settlement, farming and the trees for fuel.
Silverback Gorillas were also killed by poachers and sometimes got caught in poacher’s snares meant for other animals and gradually, the silverback gorilla became the most endangered species of gorilla.
However, today, there is a strong emphasis on conservation of the now endangered species by the governments of each country where they live (Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo).
Conservation is aimed at preventing habitat loss and the extinction of the gorillas. They are highly protected in these national parks and there are strict rules on seeing them in their natural habitat.
Best Silverback Gorilla Tour Packages:
3 Days Gorilla Trekking Safari Uganda is an Africa wildlife safari leading you to Bwindi impenetrable national park for mountain gorilla trekking and Batwa community walk. Bwindi inhabits half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas and…
This 2 days Rwanda gorilla safari is designed for all travelers interested in encountering the rare mountain gorillas but have limited time and money. Your 2 days Rwanda gorilla safari takes you to Volcanoes National Park for gorilla trek…
Embark on a 5 Days Gorilla Trekking Uganda Safari to Mgahinga National Park where you will experience the thrills of Silverback and Golden Monkeys. This tour also involves Batwa cultural tour making it one of the best Gorilla Safari Packages…