Infant Gorillas. Baby Gorillas. Where to Go for Baby Gorilla Tracking in Africa?
Infant gorillas are young ones of mountain gorillas. There are many facts about infant gorillas and these include the following. Baby gorillas stay with their mothers until they are three to four years and during this period the female mountain gorilla waits between pregnancies on average.
Baby gorillas are usually nursed by their mothers for about two and a half years and during this time they share a nest with their mothers. At the time of birth, newborn baby gorillas weigh about 3-4 pounds, half the average of human babies whose weight is usually around 7 pounds.
Baby gorillas build their nests on the ground, unlike adult gorillas that make nests on the ground. This is because they have a light weight which can allow them to rest on the nests up in the trees. At two months of age, baby gorillas begin to crawl as they also learn to cling to their mother’s back and also learn to walk at 9months.
Where to Go for Baby Gorillas Tracking in Africa?
How Do Baby or Infant Gorillas Live?
Infant mountain gorillas begin grasping their mother’s fur as well as eating and sleeping on the piggyback at four months. Male gorillas mature at the age of 11 years whereas females mature at around 8 years. Mountain gorillas are believed to live in the wild for about 35 years and 50 years in captivity.
At 10-12 years of maturity, males leave their group to live as solitary silverbacks and sometimes they go to start a new group. Baby gorilla’s body is covered with brownish hair at birth except for the fingers, face, palms, feet, face, and bottom of their feet.
Infant gorillas are breastfed by their mothers till they are 2.5 years and after they start eating some light food. Gorilla mothers keep an eye on the infants for up to six months as they protect them from danger, moving with them in the forest while foraging as they move to different sections of the forest.
According to research, most infant gorillas die in their first year. This in most cases happens when the mother is trying to leave one family to join another family.
