Ways of Life of Gorillas – About Mountain Gorillas

The gorillas’ daily activities
Gorillas sleep in new nests every day and wake up when the sun rise at around 6:00am but on cold day, they often stay longer in their nests. Gorillas also spend about half of the day moving while looking for food to eating. In mid day, they rest for social interaction with their companions and at this moment, the young gorillas can play without being interrupted- the young can suck breasts when the mothers are fully satisfied.

How do gorillas sleep?
Every evening, Gorillas constructs and sleep in new nests, which they build on the ground or in trees, depending on various variables, such as the vegetation and the security situation.

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 silverback males hardly ever do.

Can Gorillas climb a tree?
Yes, Gorillas do climb trees but silverbacks do it rarely. This is because, they are heavier and some tree branches can not hold them. Gorillas live primarily on the ground. In harvesting seasons, gorillas can climb trees to eat the fruits and some times to play – swing in the tree branches.

Do gorillas swim in water ?
No, gorillas cannot swim natural; therefore they avoid large bodies of water and rivers. However, in zoos and sometimes even in the wild, young and adult animals like to play with water. In search of food they sometimes wade through swamps on two legs with the water reaching up to their waist.