|
Image # A58-156; This image was captured while visiting the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas.
Gorillas are native to the lowland and mountain forests of western and central equatorial Africa. It is the largest of the apes, the males reaching a height of 5 to 6 ft. with a 9-ft. arm spread. Males weigh about 450 lbs. in the wild; in zoos, they become obese and may reach 600 lbs. or more. Females are smaller than males, which weigh about half as much, and do not develop the gray hair on the back characteristic of the sexually mature male. Dominant older males, called silverbacks, usually lead stable harem societies of 2 to 30 females and juvenile males in a daily search for food. The animals normally walk on all fours, resting their upper body on their knuckles.
|
