Pre-book your timed tickets now Book now. Become a member! Still not found what you're looking for? Follow us online. We are Bristol Zoological Society. Company registered in England, number Charity registered number Please fill in the missing fields. Feeling out of the loop? Sign up to our newsletter to receive the latest zoo news. First Name. Last Name. Gorilla Mountain is one of our older enclosures, but also one of the most attractive.
With grass, trees, waterfalls and rocks, it offers very natural surroundings for our family of Western Lowland gorillas, Bukavu, Miliki, Njema, Meisie, Moanda and Makari. The island is accessed from their outside paddock and they spend much of their time there, foraging for scattered food and enjoying the sunshine during the summer months. The youngsters treat the island as their very own adventure playground!
They do like to nap ….. Click here for latest updates. See on the map. See all animals in this exhibit. Gorilla Western lowland. They will typically cry when hurt or frightened, resulting in an immediate response from the mother.
Dominant males also have a distinctive smell that they use to communicate with other troops and to maintain contact with their own troop. Perhaps the most recognizable behavior performed by gorillas is chest-beating. It is primarily done by male gorillas at the end of a display meant to intimidate intruding males or predators.
The sound can be heard for long distances. Females will chest-beat infrequently; they will typically beat their hands against the insides of their thighs. Chest-beating can also indicate playful behavior, however, especially in the young.
Young gorillas play much like humans do, playing tag and doing somersaults. Western lowland gorillas live in family groups known as troops. These troops can consist of 5 to 30 individuals, although the average size is The group is led by a dominant silverback male and contains several adult females and their young.
The females will typically bond with the silverback, but not necessarily with each other. The silverback will remain dominant for as long as he can defeat competing males. There are several younger, blackback males that remain in the group until they are capable of challenging the silverback.
These young males are often driven out of the troop to live a solitary life or to live in a smaller group with other bachelors until they establish their own troops. If a dominant silverback is displaced, the new dominant male will typically kill the infants in the troop, sending the females prematurely into reproductive cycling. On maturing, females will also leave their natal group to join a lone male or another small group.
This is vital to prevent inbreeding and to protect the gene pool. Nesting typically occurs in the late afternoon, with the gorillas bedding down for the night at sundown. The females and their offspring will build nests of leaves and branches, while the dominant silverback will settle at the base of the tree, in order to protect his family. At Zoo Atlanta, while the gorillas are outside, their indoor areas are thoroughly cleaned; the walls and floors are scrubbed with disinfectant.
The gorillas are offered hay in their indoor area at night and nest with this material, replicating natural behavior. In a troop, the single silverback male will mate with the females, siring all the offspring of the troop. Females generally reach reproductive maturity between 7 and 8 years of age, with males reaching maturity later, around 10 years of age, due to competition.
The potential breeding season is year-round and gestation typically takes days, or about 8. Labor can last anywhere from one to 4 hours. Babies are usually born singly; twins are rare. Newborns weigh between 3 and 5 pounds and are weaned around 2 to 3 years of age, but can be dependent on their mothers for up to 4 years. The average interval between births for a female gorilla is four to six years.
Zoo Atlanta monitors the behavior of the gorillas at the Zoo to further our understanding of this species, but also to ensure they are safe, healthy and well enriched. The Gorilla Care Team is assisted by security camera systems offering a 4K resolution view of the habitats.
0コメント