The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the Eden’s in Africa to see the variety and high endangered wildlife like the western lowland gorillas, eastern lowland gorillas, mountain gorillas, bonobos, Okapis etc. However the country is continously being disturbed by political instabilities that forced the country to be one of the least visited countries in Africa. The cuntry is rich but less protected gains have been attained from tourism. There are three subspecies of gorillas found in the Democratic Republic of Congo and these include the less threatened Eastern lowland gorillas in Kahuzi Biega and Maiko National Park.
Brief about Eastern Lowland gorillas Congo
Eastern Lowland gorillas (also known as Grauer’s gorillas) make up a sub-species of the Eastern gorilla. The other Eastern gorilla sub-species are the mountain gorillas that exist only in Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo. Compared to other sub-species of gorillas, the Lowland gorillas are slightly bigger. They stand 4 to 5 feet tall from the ground and have a weight of up to 440 pounds.
Kahuzi-Biega National Park Congo is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. This shelters an estimated population of about 300 Eastern Lowland gorillas in the jungles of Congo. Currently, 5 habituated Lowland gorilla families are available for gorilla trekking in Kahuzi-Biega National Park including among others Chimanuka and Mugaruka families.
The Grauer’s gorillas are one of the two sub-species of Gorillas that inhabit most parts of central and eastern Africa, in D.R.Congo, Congo Brazzaville and Gabon due to the thickness of the jungles which are preferred by these special apes. The eastern lowland gorillas tend to be very common than their cousins, mountain gorillas which are only found in Rwanda, Uganda and D.R.Congo. The two species are different from each other by their bodies, hands and nature of the muzzle.
The eastern lowland gorillas are communal and tend to live in groups/families under the leadership and protection of Alpha, the dominant male who is responsible for the family’s security and survival. Alpha mates with the females in his group to produce the babies and the babies stay with the mother until 3years old before becoming independent.
Because of its enormous size, eastern lowland gorillas possess very few predators apart from humans who poach them and illegal poaching in has contributed to drastic reduction in the number of these species to an estimated 5000 eastern lowland gorillas now surviving in the wild, while their mountain gorilla counter parts are only estimated to be 880 individuals.
These gorilla species are one of the most admired primates that travelers crave to see on their safari to Africa, and they attract a huge number of adventure fanatics who visit the African continent just to have memorable encounter with the eastern lowland gorillas in Democratic Republic of Congo in the famous Kahuzi Biega national park in the eastern province of the country. The eastern lowland gorilla is an amazing creature that belongs to the ape family, with so much resemblance with mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, Orang-Utans, and unique similarities to human beings. This eastern lowland gorilla possesses very special features that make the central African jungle a perfect habitat for it to live.
History of Eastern Lowland Gorillas
The eastern lowland gorilla also known as Grauer’s gorilla—is the largest of the four gorilla subspecies. It is distinguished from other gorillas by its stocky body, large hands, and short muzzle. Despite its size, eastern lowland gorillas subsist mainly on fruit and other herbaceous materials, just like other gorilla subspecies.
Years of civil unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have taken their toll on both the eastern lowland gorilla and the mountain gorilla. The eastern lowland gorilla makes its home in lowland tropical rain forests in the eastern DRC. In the last 50 years, its range has decreased from 8,100 square miles about the size of the state of Massachusetts to about 4,600 square miles today. This subspecies may now occupy only 13% of its historical range. There were nearly 17,000 eastern lowland gorillas in the mid-1990s but scientists estimate that the population has declined by more than 50% since then. An accurate accounting of the animals has been impossible for many years because of violence in the region.
Throughout the unrest, the gorillas have been vulnerable to poaching, even in Kahuzi-Biega National Park, home to the largest population of protected eastern lowland gorillas. Rebels and poachers invaded the park and people set up illegal mines. But, with help from WWF and other organizations, park staff is re-establishing control over the land.
How many Eastern Lowland gorillas are there in the wild?
There are far fewer eastern lowland gorillas compared to western lowland gorillas. According to a 2004 report, there were only about 5,000 eastern lowland gorillas in the wild, down to fewer than 3,800 in the 2016 gorilla census. With disrupted research in Kahuzi Biega National Park, the park remains the last stronghold of the eastern lowland gorillas, numbering just over 200 individuals with three habituated families that are currently being protected by the park and they are open to tourism.
Would you like to go on a gorilla safari to see the Eastern lowland gorillas? There are well crafted itineraries that will enable you to encounter the eastern lowland gorillas.
Where they live: Democratic Republic of Congo
Reproduction
A female will give birth to twins or a single infant after a gestation period of about 8½ months. They breastfeed for about 12 months. The baby can crawl at around 9 weeks old and can walk at about 35 weeks old. Infant gorillas normally stay with their mother for 3 to 4 years and mature at around 11 to 12 years old.
The scientific classification: Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Mammalia, Order: Primates, Family: Hominidae, Genus: Gorilla, Species: Gorilla. Beringei, Subspecies: Gorilla. Berengei. Graueri.
The eastern lowland gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) is a subspecies of eastern gorilla that is now only found in the forests of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Many live within the boundaries of Kahuzi-Biega National Park.
This subspecies is considerably larger and more robust in appearance than the western lowland gorilla, having a longer body, longer teeth, a stronger jaw and a broader torso. They have black coats which in males, like other gorillas, turns silver at the back as the animal mature. There are many more western lowland gorillas than the eastern variety; compared to a possible total of over 100,000 western lowland gorillas, there are only about 4,000 eastern lowland gorillas in the wild and only 1 female in captivity at the Antwerp Zoo in Belgium.
Characteristics:
Eastern lowland gorillas are the largest subspecies of gorilla, and adult males can reach up to 250kg (39st 5lb), making them the world’s largest primate. They are similar to mountain gorillas but can be distinguished by shorter fur, narrower faces and rounder nostrils.
Eastern lowland gorillas, in common with other subspecies of gorilla, are largely herbivorous but have been observed eating ants and other insects. They live in family groups led by the dominant male silverback, and during the day spend their time feeding and resting. Gorillas build new nests to sleep in every night.
Characteristics and Behavior
Eastern Lowland Gorillas are peaceful, mainly herbivorous animals that live in groups of 5-30 individuals. Individual males can weigh up to 250kg in captivity, but in the wild they usually weigh 200kg. Females are significantly smaller, with a maximum weight of 110kg. Eastern Lowland Gorillas live in family groups consisting of a large dominant male Gorilla and females and infants. Males are known as “Silverbacks” in reference to the distinctive silver hairs on their back upon reaching maturity. Gorillas are identified by their “nose prints,” which are the patterns of wrinkles on their noses. Each gorilla has a unique nose print.
The gestation period for female gorillas is 8 ½ months. Gorilla infants are helpless at birth, learning to walk independently around 9 months. Infant gorillas are nursed for about 3 years before becoming fully independent. Female gorillas gain maturity around the age of 10 years old and have only one baby every four years, meaning that over the 25 year life span she will only give birth to an average of 3 offspring. The slow reproductive rate means that it can take many years for a population to recover from threats such as hunting and ongoing conflict.
The diet of Eastern Lowland Gorillas mainly consists of leaves, but they have also been observed consuming fruit, seeds, bamboo shoots and insects. Mostly active during the day, they make a new nest each night, with mothers sharing with infants. Watching a gorilla sitting peacefully in the forest eating and socializing is a truly magical experience.
Gorillas communicate in a variety of different ways. Vocal communication occurs between individual gorillas, and within larger groups. Adults and infants have a variety of different calls depending on the situation. “Close” calls are commonly given within the group in situations of either potential separation or potential conflict. Extra-group calls serve to alert group members of potential predation and include “barks” or are given as long-distance threat displays upon detection of another group. These can also be accompanied by chest beating, a common non vocal communication method.
Behavior
Eastern lowland gorillas tend to be sociable and very peaceful, living in groups of 5 to 30. A group usually consists of one silverback and few subdominant males. Silverbacks are the strong, dominant troop leaders. They are in charge of leading the group to food and protecting the group from danger. Males will slowly begin to leave their original group when they reach maturity, usually traveling with a group of other males for a few years before being able to attract females to form a new group.
A group usually consists of one silverback, several females and their offspring. Silverbacks are strong and each group has one dominant leader (see alpha male). These males protect their group from danger. Young silverback males will slowly begin to leave their natal group when they reach maturity, and will then attempt to attract females to form their own group.
Relatively little is known about the social behavior, history and ecology of eastern lowland gorillas, partly because of civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, some aspects of social behavior have been studied. For example, gorillas form harems which may include two full-grown males. One third of gorilla groups in East Africa have two grown males in their group.
Most primates are bonded together by the relationship between females, a pattern also seen in many human families. Once they reach maturity, both females and males usually leave the group. Females usually join another group or a lone silverback adult male, whereas males may stay together temporarily, until they attract females and establish their own groups. It is commonly believed that the structure of the gorilla group is to prevent predation.
A female will give birth to a single infant after a gestation period of about 8½ months. They breastfeed for about three years. The baby can crawl at around nine weeks old and can walk at about 35 weeks old. Infant gorillas normally stay with their mother for three to four years and mature at around 8 years old (females) and 12 years old (males).
Physical description
The eastern lowland gorilla is the largest subspecies of gorilla and the largest living primate. The maximum size of a male eastern lowland gorilla can be over 250 kilograms (550 lb) and when standing fully erect over 2 meters (6.6 ft) in the wild, with much heavier weights recorded in captivity. Some males are recorded to have weighed 275 kg (610 lb), 287 kg (630 lb), 312 kg (690 lb), 318 kg (700 lb) and 338 kg (750 lb). The record weight belongs to a male named Phil, who weighed 388 kilograms (860 lb) and lived between 1941 and 1958 at the St. Louis Zoo. Phil’s measurements were: height 1.7 meters (5.6 ft), bust 182 centimeters (72 in), neck 91.5 centimeters (36.0 in) and wrist 38 centimeters (15 in). He was weighed on a verified weight after an eight-week-long diet. According to the late John Aspinall, a 550 lb (250 kg) male eastern lowland gorilla in his prime has the combined strength of 7–8 heavyweight Olympic weightlifters.
Habitat and ecology
The eastern lowland gorilla has the widest altitudinal range of any of the gorilla subspecies, being found in mountainous, transitional and lowland tropical forests. One of the most studied eastern lowland gorilla population lives in the highlands of Kahuzi-Biega, where habitats vary between dense primary forests to moderately moist woodland, to Cyperus swamp and peat bog.
Eastern lowland gorillas are predominantly herbivorous, eating mostly leaves. They are known to eat only a few leaves from a single plant, allowing the plant to re grow. They will also eat fruit, seeds, bamboo shoots and insects. Gorillas also engage in coprophagia; they eat their own feces, as well as the feces of other gorillas. Similar behavior has also been observed among chimpanzees. Such behavior may serve to improve absorption of vitamins or of nutritive elements made available from the re-ingestion of seeds.
Gorillas do not eat banana fruits, but they may destroy banana trees to eat the nutritious pith. The eastern lowland gorilla shows a preference for regenerating vegetation associated with abandoned villages and fields. Farmers who have come in contact with gorillas in their plantations have killed the gorilla and obtained a double benefit, protecting their crop and using the meat of the gorilla to sell at the market.
Eastern lowland gorilla has a varied plants diet including fruits, leaves, stems and bark as well as small insects such as ants and termites. Although they occasionally eat ants, insects form only a minor part of their diet. In comparison to western lowland gorillas, found in low altitude tropical forests, eastern lowland gorillas travel much less and increase their consumption of herbaceous vegetation.
Conservation and threats
The lowland Gorillas are threatened by Coltan mining which increased after the cell phone boom.
Mount Tshiaberimu gorillas
In 1996 a small isolated population of gorillas was found living at Mount Tshiaberimu, a small isolated annex in the northern region of the Virunga National Park. The population was facing imminent extinction, threatened by activities such as mining, hunting and the collection of firewood. In rapid decline and ignored by many, the Gorilla Organization pledged to protect this tiny group of gorillas and the habitat.
The Mt Tshiaberimu gorillas are morphologically different to the Eastern Lowland gorillas found elsewhere and may yet be reclassified as a distinct subspecies, Gorilla beringei rex-pygmaeorum. They are currently officially classified as Gorilla beringei graueri.