What do Gorillas Eat? Discover the Fascinating Gorilla Diet

Are you curious to know What do Gorillas Eat? Explore their fascinating mountain gorilla diet and learn more about these rare primates with this post!

By understanding what do gorillas eat, we gain a better appreciation for their behavior in the wild hence enough knowledge on gorilla conservation.

Gorillas are mainly vegetarian, which means they eat more of plants that anything else. Their diet mainly consists of herbs, leaves, stems, roots, berries, seeds, fruits, sometimes insects and small reptiles.

What do Gorillas Eat

Mountain Gorilla Diet - What do gorillas eat?

The diet of mountain gorillas consists mainly of vegetation. They graze on herbs, leaves, stems, roots, berries, seeds, and fruits depending on the season. They may also consume small insects when they come across them especially termites and ants and the larvae.

Mountain gorillas eat a wide variety of plants found in their environment and generally consume more than 150 different food items in a day. As they become aggressive while eating they feed alone or with a single partner usually outside of the group.

How much do Gorillas Eat?

Gorillas typically eat very large amounts of food. On average, each gorilla can consume up to 40 pounds of vegetation each day, which equals over 4,000 calories!

This amount of food can vary depending on the type and availability of food sources in the environment. They will focus their diet mainly on leafy greens and fruit in order to obtain all the essential vitamins and minerals they need for optimal health.

How do Mountain Gorillas get their food?

Mountain gorillas get their food mainly by browsing and gathering throughout their home range. They use their hands to carefully pick leaves, stems, roots, and fruits from the branches of trees and plants. They occasionally eat soil to help them digest certain nutrients. Throughout the day they will stop frequently to feed before going on in search of new food sources.

Do Mountain Gorillas Eat Meat?

Despite their impressive size, gorillas typically feed on plant-based diets and do not consume meat. They will occasionally eat small animals such as insects, but these make up only a small proportion of their overall diet.

Mountain gorillas are more likely to take advantage of any food sources they come across in the environment, including ants and other invertebrates. Gorillas do not eat meat!!

do gorillas eat meat

Do Mountain Gorillas Drink Water?

Though gorillas get most of their water from the plants they eat, mountain gorillas do drink water when it is available.

They have been known to walk several miles out of their way in order to drink at a lake or stream. Mountain gorillas will also eat fruit with a high water content, such as figs and wild oranges, to help increase their hydration levels.

Best Africa Gorilla Safaris

The curiousness to know what do gorillas eat is a sign that you care about the survival of gorillas. Therefore, it is idealistic to contribute to the conservation of mountain gorillas through the most eco-friendly wildlife experience – Gorilla Trekking Safaris. Checkout these amazing gorilla trekking safaris to Uganda and Rwanda;

2 Days Rwanda Gorilla Safari

2 Days Rwanda Gorilla Safari is a cheap gorilla trekking safari to Volcanoes National Park, the only place to see mountain gorillas in Rwanda. This 2 days Rwanda gorilla safari is designed for all travelers interested in encountering the rare mountain gorillas but…

3 days Uganda Gorilla safari

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 it is located in…

7 days Uganda safari to Bwindi, Queen and lake Mburo

7 Days Uganda Safari is about Gorilla Trekking in Bwind forest, wildlife viewing by boat cruises and game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park & lake Mburo national park. This safari explores you to the western part of the country to sight various wildlife…

People also ask;

Gorillas live in forests where bananas don’t grow which means gorillas do not eat bananas. Although, gorillas in captivity are sometimes served with bananas as part of research.

There are 2 types of gorillas; lowland and mountain gorillas. Lowland gorillas live in Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Congo, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon. Mountain Gorillas live in Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo.

Gorillas have large bodies and require a lot of energy to maintain their physical activity and body temperature especially mountain gorillas. They have high metabolism rate and they also generate both energy and high temperature through eating.

Gorillas have adapted to efficiently extract protein from plant-based diet and also eat insects such as termites and ants, which are a source of protein.

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