Gorillas stick to a mainly vegetarian diet, feeding on stems, bamboo shoots and fruits. Western lowland gorillas, however, also have an appetite for termites and ants, and break open termite nests to eat the larvae.
While some zoo specimens are known to eat meat, wild gorillas eat only plants and fruit, along with the odd insect—as far as scientists know (see video of wild gorillas feasting on figs).
Silverbacks also eat rotting wood and small animals from time to time. Though their primary diet consists of much easier-to-find vegetation, the silverback gorilla, like humans, are an omnivorous species: they can eat meat or plants as they choose.
This means they need much more time to digest their food and absorb enough nutrients. That's where their long intestines come in handy. Looking at the gorilla's digestive system, it's clear that they've evolved to eat a plant-based diet.
Gorillas don't need to eat protein, because they grow their own protein in the bacteria that thrive inside of them. The gorilla consumes the vegetation to feed the bacterial colonies of their microbiome, and then absorbs the protein formed by the bacteria as they feast on the cellulose fibers of the vegetation .
The gorilla and grizzly have a relatively similar bite strength, but the bear's build makes it harder for a gorilla's bite to be equally as effective. The gorilla's biggest advantage is its spry movement, whereas the grizzly's primary advantage is its claws. The grizzly is larger, but the gorilla is stronger.
No, an unarmed human being could not beat a gorilla in a fight. Simply put, gorillas are far too strong for human beings to overcome.
Gorillas stick to a mainly vegetarian diet, feeding on stems, bamboo shoots and fruits. Western lowland gorillas, however, also have an appetite for termites and ants, and break open termite nests to eat the larvae.
No, gorillas and chimpanzees cannot mate. The two species are evolutionarily too distant and their DNA is too dissimilar for a gorilla and a chimpanzee to produce offspring.
Gorillas are perhaps one of the most misunderstood animals. Though they are often portrayed as dangerous and aggressive, the truth is that gorillas are gentle giants. They are shy and retiring by nature, and usually only become aggressive when they feel threatened.
Gorillas can indeed be trained and they get very close to humans like Dian Fossey who lived with mountain gorillas and had this to say “I feel more conformable being with gorillas than being around people”.
Among all primates, it's the chimpanzees that consume the most meat — both in terms of the diversity and sheer volume of animals they eat.
Could we mate with other animals today? Probably not. Ethical considerations preclude definitive research on the subject, but it's safe to say that human DNA has become so different from that of other animals that interbreeding would likely be impossible.
Gorillas have incisors and canines to help cut, rip, and tear food. Since gorillas don't eat meat, this mostly helps them when eating bark off of trees.
Roughly half of females reproduce in the group where they were born, resulting in the potential for them to reproduce with their fathers. However, the genetic analyses in this study found no evidence of father-daughter reproduction, although half siblings were observed to occasionally reproduce.
The emanating drumming sound can be heard over one kilometre away. The presumed function of gorilla chest beats is to attract females and intimidate rival males.
Bonobos and other primates will have sex while pregnant or lactating – seemingly just for the joy of it – while short-nosed fruit bats engage in oral sex to prolong their bouts of intercourse (there might be evolutionary reasons for this, but it could also be for fun).
Live Science says hippos have a “mostly herbivorous appetite,” made up of about 80 pounds of grass each night, as well as fruits found during nightly scavenges. However, a 2015 study by the Mammal Review shows hippos “occasionally” feed on animal carcasses, a more omnivorous behavior.
You might have seen gorillas and other primates eating bananas at the zoo or in movies, gorillas do not eat bananas in the jungle. While gorillas CAN eat bananas, they typically do not eat them because they have no way of getting to them.
Most of their diet consists of fruit and leaves gathered from rain forest trees. They also eat bark, insects and, on rare occasions, meat.
Highly unlikely, if no firearms or tranquilizer guns are involved. A gorilla can reach speeds of 20 mph to 25 mph. In comparison, Usain Bolt's record in the 100-meter dash roughly translates into 23 mph (Bolt reaches peak speeds of around 27 mph—but still).
A lion would almost certainly win in a fight against a gorilla. The reasoning should not be all that surprising. A lion will stalk and ambush a gorilla in the dense vegetation of their natural habitat by waiting until it's dark to have the edge. They have a good chance at ending the fight in seconds.
How hard can a gorilla punch? It is believed that a gorilla punch is strong enough to shatter your skull with one slam of its arm:/Between 1300 to 2700 pounds of force. Gorillas on (avg. 400 lbs) have a muscle mass density almost 4 times higher than the most heavily muscled powerful human you know.