The Bwindi gorilla, a population of the Mountain Gorilla The Mountain Gorilla is one of the two subspecies of the Eastern Gorilla. There are two populations. One is found in the Virunga volcanic mountains of Central Africa, within three national parks: Mgahinga, in south-west Uganda; Volcanoes, in north-west Rwanda; and Virunga in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The other is found in (Gorilla beringei beringei), is found in the rain forests Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions setting minimum normal annual rainfall between 1750–2000 mm . The monsoon trough, alternately known as the intertropical convergence zone, plays a significant role in creating Earth's tropical rain forests of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, largely contained within Bwindi Impenetrable National Park , comprises a large primeval forest in East Africa at altitudes spanning from 1,160 to 2,607 meters. The Impenetrable Forest, also known as 'Place of Darkness', is located in southwestern Uganda on the edge of the western arm of the Great Rift Valley, only a few, and comprises about half the world's endangered population of about 600 Mountain Gorillas. A 2006 census of the Bwindi population indicated approximately 340 individuals, which is a modest increase from the estimated 300 individuals in 1997.[1] The nearby Virunga Volcanoes Conservation Area is inhabited by the remaining 300 Mountain Gorillas but has no chimpanzees Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:; this makes Bwindi the only forest in Africa in which these two great apes The Hominidae form a taxonomic family, including four extant genera: chimpanzees, gorillas, humans, and orangutans occur together.
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Research
Gorilla Gorillas are the largest of the living primates. They are ground-dwelling and predominantly herbivorous. They inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies. The DNA of gorillas is 98%–99% identical to that of a human, and they are the next closest living relatives to humans after research in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest has lagged far behind that in the Virunga Volcanoes The Virunga Mountains are a chain of volcanoes in East Africa, along the northern border of Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. The mountain range is a branch of the Albertine Rift, a part of the Great Rift Valley. They are located between Lake Edward and Lake Kivu. Preliminary field research results have been reported by researcher Craig Stanford.
Diet
Dr. Stanford has found that the Bwindi gorilla's diet is markedly higher in fruit than that of the Virunga population, and that the Bwindi gorillas, even silverbacks, are more likely to climb trees to feed on foliage, fruits, and epiphytes. In some months, Bwindi gorilla diet is very similar to that of Bwindi chimpanzees.
Bwindi gorillas travel further per day than Virunga gorillas, particularly on days when feeding primarily on fruit than when they are feeding on fibrous foods.
Nests
Bwindi gorillas are much more likely to build their nests in trees, nearly always in Echizogwa, a small understory tree.
References
External links
- BergGorilla.org - 'Variability in the Diet of Bwindi Gorillas', Gorilla Journal (December, 2004)
- USC.edu - 'The Bwindi-Impenetrable Great Ape Project'
Categories: Mammals of Africa | Fauna of the Democratic Republic of the Congo | Gorillas
Thu, 17 Jun 2010 20:11:59 GMT+00:00
in Rwanda Coast News ... for an eight-night vacation visiting Parc National des Vocans in Rwanda and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable Park in Uganda. ...
