Difference between Mountain Gorillas and lowland Gorillas : The mountain gorillas are still the largest world living primate, gorillas are violent and dangerous apes and they are also sociable apes. Mountain gorillas and low land gorillas are two distinct primate species sharing about 98 percent of their genetic and with humans thus making them close relative.
Comparing mountain gorillas with low land gorillas.
The habitat of mountain gorillas and low land gorillas
mountain gorillas can stay in harsher climate conditions because they stay in trees and higher elevation zones which are usually cold while lowland gorillas have been able to live in capture and can easily be relocated.
Low land gorillas leave in the rain forests and swamplands occasionally looking for food and can only be found in democratic republic of Congo, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea Gabon and Angola while mountain gorillas are found in Rwanda Uganda and Congo.
Behaviours
Low land gorillas are peaceful, non-aggressive animals they do not attack unless they are provoked. While mountain gorillas are shy and gentle but females always form strong bonds with females in groups to ensure protection and prevent infanticide.
Mountain gorillas live in groups of 5 to 25 members usually led by the silverback dominant male mountain gorillas, low land gorillas can leave in a family of about 4 to 8members though they can leave in an averaging more than 50 members with multiple silverbacks leading.
Mountain gorillas are slightly different from the lowland counterparts characterised by frequent interaction among the group members while the low land gorillas are found to be much more dispersed and they travel less than mountain gorillas.
Mating behaviour also differ mountain gorillas have a polygynous mating system while low land gorillas it is not the case here the dominant silver may have to compete with other males for access to females.
Physical characteristics
Mountain gorillas are bigger with longer dark hair and short arms while the low land gorillas their bodies have less hair making them always freezing that is why they leave in warm areas.
Mountain gorillas are generally larger in size with males weighing 400 pound and 5.6 feet tall when fully upright while the low land gorillas are slightly smaller with the male weighing 3750 pound and 5.3 feet, they have less fur.
One can diffreciate them that is one going the trekking of the gorillas like for mountain gorillas in Rwanda Uganda and Congo or for low land gorillas in Angola and other areas where they are.
Elderly mountain gorillas maintain their silver fur while the elderly low land mountain gorillas often lose the grey hair on their buck.
Feeding
Mountain gorillas strictly feed on plant materials like leaves shrubs, flowers
Low land gorillas feed on plants also but they add insects, and small reptiles.
Difference on population
Low land gorillas are more than the mountain because they are found in more than 3 countries yet the mountain gorillas are only found in only 3 countries.
How much is gorilla trekking
Foreign non-residents 800 USD
Foreign residents 700 USD
East African countries 300000 UGX
Conservation
mountain gorillas are classified endangered with small population whereas the lowland gorillas are critically endangered with the population of 316000 individuals.
Both the gorillas face different threats and conservation challenges with the mountain gorillas with mountain gorillas having less population and low land having the largest population.
communication of the low land gorillas and mountain gorillas
when the mountain gorillas are not happy, they put out a strong or order from their armpits which acts as a signal that they are not happy which is not the case with the lowland gorillas.
Speed
When comparing the speed, the mountain gorillas are more speedy than the low land gorillas because of living in the mountainous areas so they need to move quickly across the rugged terrain.
Intelligence
Mountain gorillas are sharper because the environment the leave in it needs them to solve the problem related to food though the low land gorillas are also intelligent but not as the mountain gorillas because they leave in comfort zone.
The mountain gorillas only climb trees with branches that are strong to carry their heavy bodies while the low land always travel through the trees.
Best time to do gorilla trekking either low land or mountain gorillas
Gorilla trekking can be done throughout the year though the best time is during the dry season in all the regions where gorillas are trekked from the is the roads are dry making the trails easily passable when there is no water and the primates are easily seen during the dry season.
Gorilla tours are one of the most interesting and popular things to do because a safari to Africa without gorilla trekking it is not complete especially for mountain gorillas found in only three countries, Uganda, Rwanda, democratic republic of Congo.
