Congo Gorilla

by John Telfer

Title

Congo Gorilla

Artist

John Telfer

Medium

Photograph - Photograph

Description

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While at the Bronx Zoo located in the Bronx, New York I photographed this large male Congo Gorilla as he was walking along grabbing branches in front of him. Gorillas live in tightly knit, nomadic groups of up to 30 animals. A dominant male�known as a �silverback� for the gray-silver hair on his back�leads and protects the group, which consists of his female mates and their young. Most active during the daytime, gorillas awaken early in the morning to forage. After a midday rest, they travel again in pursuit of their next meal. Before dusk, each gorilla makes a nest, with infants sharing their mothers� leafty quarters. Though gorillas spend most of their time on the ground, females and juveniles sometimes nest in trees. Gorillas will also climb trees to forage. In fact, they have been seen in trees more than 130 feet above ground! Gorilla babies are born small, at around 4.5 pounds, but grow quickly. At about six months old, a gorilla youngster can walk and ride on its mother�s back. Young gorillas stay close to their mothers until they are four to six years old. They learn by imitating the behavior of other group members, and by play fighting with one another. By 10 years of age, when they have reached adult size and are ready to raise their own young, they strike out on their own to find a new group or mates.
Females produce young only every 4 to 6 years. This relatively low birth rate provides challenges to population recovery. Gorillas can live for up to 50 years.
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Uploaded

May 14th, 2012

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