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Home » Information » Gorilla Facts About Mountain Gorillas in Uganda – Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Uganda

Gorilla Facts About Mountain Gorillas in Uganda – Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Uganda

Gorilla Facts About Mountain Gorillas in Uganda Bwindi Impenetrable National ParkFind all Gorilla facts about Mountain Gorillas in Uganda in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Uganda and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

Mountain Gorillas are the main tourist attraction in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park which is drawing many travelers both local and international to undertake gorilla trekking safaris to Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National park.

The park is inhabited by an estimated population of about 400 individual mountain gorillas, which make up almost half of all the remaining mountain gorillas in the world living in the wild.

The other half of the mountain gorilla population is housed in the nearby Virunga Mountains covering three national parks Mgahinga Gorilla Park in Uganda, Volcanoes in Rwanda, and Virunga national park in Congo.

A 2011 census of the mountain gorilla population in the park showed that its numbers had increased greatly from an approximated 300 individuals in 1997 to 320 individuals in 2002 to 340 individuals in 2006 to 400 in 2011.

Research exposes that Mountain gorillas in Bwindi mainly feed on fruits more than that the Virunga population, and also Bwindi gorillas including the Silver-back tend to climb trees to feed on foliage, fruits, and epiphytes.

The best way one can prove the published literature about gorillas in Bwindi is by undertaking gorilla safari tour to Uganda’s destination of Bwindi. Your Uganda safari tour to Bwindi will give you the opportunity to trek and spend one hour studying the way of life of the mountain gorillas protected in Bwindi Impenetrable national park.

Within one hour, you will identify the daily food eaten by the gorillas, and how they build their nests in trees, among other unique activities done by mountain gorillas.
In Bwindi national park, mountain gorillas are habituated in four main regions within the park and these regions form the four prominent regions where tourists on Uganda gorilla safari tours can easily trek and encounter the mountain gorillas in the ancient Impenetrable forest.

The four regions include the Buhoma region which was the first region where gorillas were first habituated and opened in 1993 to tourists on their Uganda gorilla safaris to visit, the Nkuringo region is one of the famous regions with only one gorilla group, Rushaga, and Ruhija regions.

What is so interesting is that all of Bwindi’s habituated gorillas are known individually by the rangers and have been given names in order to identify them. The male gorillas in Bwindi can weigh more than 500lb and some silverbacks exceed 6ft.

Currently, Bwindi has 11 habituated gorilla families and one group that is only available for research and the other ten can be visited by visitors on gorilla trekking safaris to Uganda. These habituated groups include the Mubare gorilla group, Habinyanja Gorilla troop, Rushegura gorilla group, Bitukura, Oruzogo, Nshongi, Nkuringo, Bweza, Mishaya, Kahungye, Busingye and the research group Kyaguriro.

Before embarking on your Uganda Gorilla Safari to Bwindi, we kindly encourage you to research more about these incredible creatures and read interesting facts about the various gorilla families habituated in Bwindi. This will help you to have a wonderful gorilla trekking experience while on your Uganda gorilla trekking safaris and tours.

What you should note is that, mountain gorillas are wild animals, and details such as the group size, their location in the forest, and leading silver-back might change without notice hence be flexible when you find changes.

Frequently Asked Questions About Mountain Gorillas in Uganda in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Uganda & Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

What is a Gorilla? How Do Gorillas Look?

Gorilla Scientific Classification Gorillas are massive ground-dwelling apes that live in Central and West African forests. There are several examples of famous gorillas and gorilla stories known by many people around the world.

Gorillas are very common primates in popular culture, and almost anyone will name at least one character, like King Kong, or those in the Planet of the Apes. Read More

Where do Gorillas Get Their Name From?

The name gorilla was derived from the Ancient Greek word “gorilla”, which means ‘tribe of hairy women. The history of the word ‘gorilla’ dates back about 2500 years.. Read More

How Many Species-breeds of Gorillas are There?

There are two species of the gorillas-Eastern gorilla (Gorilla Beringei) & Western gorilla (Gorilla Gorilla) Each gorilla species is further subdivided into two subspecies as shown below. Read More

Where Can You see Gorillas in Africa?

You can see Gorillas in Africa in Uganda, Rwanda, Dr. Congo for the Mountain Gorillas and the Lowland Gorillas in central Africa in Congo Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon  Read more

What is the Size of the Mountain Gorilla?

Infant Gorillas weigh about 1.4−1.8kg when they are born. That is half the weight of the average human infant! However, gorillas grow faster and reach maturity at around 12 years old.

By the time they’re adults, gorillas end up weighing almost thrice an average human.

What’s the Biggest Type of Gorilla?

The Eastern lowland gorilla of the Democratic Republic of Congo is the largest of the four gorilla subspecies weighing up to 250kg belonging to the bigger Gorilla Beringei subspecies. Read More

What makes mountain gorillas unique? / What Special Features do Mountain Gorillas Have?

Mountain Gorillas are one of nature’s largest primates! With thicker, longer fur than other gorillas. Read More

What do Mountain Gorillas Look Like?

These gorillas have shaggy black fur that covers most of their body leaving out the face, and massive chest to mention but a few. Read More

What is special about a mountain gorilla’s nose? /Do gorillas have unique nose prints?

Gorillas do have unique nose prints with a unique pattern of wrinkles on their nose which differentiate them from each other.. Read More

What is the Daily Life of a Gorilla-like?

Intrigued by what Gorillas do all day? is the fact that Gorillas are always active from 6.00 am to 6.00 pm. Gorillas tend to have daily routines and events seem to follow each other chronologically.

Why Do Gorillas Have Canine Teeth?

Travelers on gorilla treks in Africa have always been wondering: – since gorillas are herbivores, why do they have big canines?

Well, teeth aren’t just for chopping meat. In particular, the gorilla’s long-sharp canine teeth are used for display, especially when it is threatened or trying to fend off other male gorillas competing for dominance. Read More

How do Mountain Gorillas Move?

Gorillas, the greatest of the apes, are primarily terrestrial (meaning they travel on the ground) and quadrupedal which means that they use both their hands and feet to walk. Read More

Can Gorillas Climb Trees?

Gorillas primarily live on the ground. They can spend about 5% of the day in trees, while chimpanzees spend about 61% of the day above the ground and orangutans nearly 100%. Read More

Do Mountain Gorillas Live in Families?

Like people Gorillas have families too. A gorilla family/group is called a troop. Each troop is made up of 5 to 30 individuals. Read More

Do Gorillas Live in Nests Every day?/How do Gorillas Sleep?

Gorillas make new nests to sleep in every night. At the end of the day, just before dusk, these great primates start constructing a nest where they will spend their night. Read More

What do Mountain Gorillas Eat?

Gorillas are herbivores, which achieve their impressive stature on a mostly vegetarian diet. They have massive jaw muscles which help them chew tough vegetation.  Read More 

How Much does a Gorilla Eat per Day?

Mountain gorillas consume as large quantities of food as needed to sustain their massive bulk. An adult male Gorilla can consume up to 34 kg (75 pounds) of vegetation a day, while… Read More

Why Does a Gorilla Have Canines?

Their Canine Teeth aren’t just for chopping meat. In particular, the gorilla’s long-sharp canine teeth are used for display, especially when it is threatened or trying to fend off other male gorillas competing for dominance. Read More

How do Gorillas Communicate?

These giant Apes communicate in several ways as humans do, to pass on important timely communication amongst themselves through; – sounds, postures, and gestures as well as facial expressions. Gorillas make about 22 unique sounds to communicate unique feelings Read More

How Intelligent Are Gorillas?/How Smart are Gorillas?

These great Apes have been taught sign language, they can laugh, grieve, and have great emotions. Gorillas always develop very strong family bonds among group members and have great territorial boundaries… Read More

Why do Gorillas Beat Their Chest?

Silverback Gorillas many times beat their chests when perceiving danger and feel threatened by humans or intruders, sometimes fellow gorillas or wild animals. When angry the Alpha male stands upright, and hoots.  Read More

Do Female Gorillas Beat Their Chests?

When people think of gorilla chest-beating, they usually think of a huge silverback signaling to another male that he’s in charge. However, anyone in a gorilla group, even females and juveniles, may be seen pounding the chest Read More

Why Can’t you Look into the Gorilla’s Eyes?

Gorillas do not like direct eye contact cause it means you want to challenge their dominance and hence you are considered an enemy in their domain worth being attacked. Read More

Can a Gorilla be a Pet?

Although gorilla shares almost 98% of our DNA, they do not make good pets. You may see pictures of baby gorillas and think “how cute! I would love one as a pet!” But gorillas can be dangerous pets…  Read More

What is a Baby Gorilla Called?

Baby gorillas are called infants just like humans. Baby gorillas are called infants, just like baby humans, which makes sense when we’re so closely related. Read More

How Many Babies do Female Gorillas Have?

Female gorillas have a slow reproduction rate. The maximum number of offspring they may have during their lifetime is 2-6. Normally, male gorillas have 10-20 offspring. Read more

How Long do Baby Gorillas Stay with Their Mothers?

Mother gorillas stay with their younger ones until they are four years old. All this time the mothers attend to their babies until they can support themselves.. Read More

How Long Does a Gorilla Live?

The life span of Gorillas usually ranges from 35 to 40 years. Old gorillas often suffer from arthritis, which mainly damages the bones in their hands and feet. Read More

Are Mountain Gorillas Friendly? /Are Gorillas Gentle? What Do You do When You Encounter a Gorilla?

For decades, the answer might have been to scream and run. Gorillas were wild beasts that could tear cities apart.. Read More

Are Gorillas Aggressive? Can Gorillas be Aggressive?

Gorillas are calm vegetarians that can only become aggressive when disturbed. Gorillas are wild animals and despite the fact that they share about 98% of our DNA. Read More

How Strong is a Mountain Gorilla? How Strong is a Silverback Gorilla?

The fact that these animals have immense physical power is one of the facts about gorillas that indicate you should treat them with caution. It’s hard to measure how strong a gorilla really is, but estimates range… Read  More

What are Gorillas Scared/Afraid of?

Certain reptiles such as chameleons and caterpillars worry and scare Gorillas. They are also afraid of water and will cross streams only if they can do so without getting wet, such as by crossing over fallen logs, and dislike rain. Read More

Do Gorillas Have Enemies?/Do Gorillas Have Predators?

One possible predator of gorillas is the leopard. Gorilla remains have been found in leopard scat, but this may be the result of scavenging.. Read More

Are There Mountain Gorillas in Zoos?

No, mountain gorillas can’t survive in captivity. They only live in mountainous forested areas of Central Africa. All gorillas in zoos… Read more

Why are Mountain Gorillas Endangered?

Gorillas are endangered due to a number of reasons including human conflicts and diseases. Read More

How Many Mountain Gorillas are left in the World?

Because there are only about 1,063 mountain gorillas left in the world, it’s important that their population size be continuously monitored..Read More

How Can We Help save Mountain Gorillas?

Visiting mountain gorillas’ families and learning about the life of the gorillas is one way of contributing to the ongoing efforts of saving these endangered Apes.. Read More

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