Gorillas are herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central sub-Saharan Africa and are divided into two species namely, the eastern gorillas and the western gorillas. They are the largest living primates on the earth and are said to share 98% DNA with the human being. You may ask yourself what do gorillas eat which makes them become stronger and muscular. Below is a list of all the fruits and vegetation which are good for the gorillas’ diet along with their most wanted food in the forest. The type of food they eat varies on the available food in a season since there are two seasons in the year i.e. dry and wet season. Mountain gorillas are dependent on the thick nature forest of Bwindi impenetrable forest, Mgahinga national park which are their habitats in Uganda. In Rwanda, gorillas are found in Volcanoes National park and in Virunga National Park in Congo.
Western lowland gorillas inhabit the montane forests and lowland swamps in central Africa. Since they are herbivorous apes, their main diet is roots, fruit, shoots, wild celery, tree bark and pulp which are vegetables found in the thick forests of west Africa and central Africa. This number of vegetables are usually in plenty during the wet season. When it comes to dry seasons fruits decrease and they continue eating other kinds of fruits in the forests. They also eat small insects such as termites, nuts, and fibers which are the herbaceous stem. The food is divided into 2 categories i.e. seasonal foods and the staple food. However, adult gorillas can eat around 18 kilograms of food per day and they can climb trees up to 15 meters high looking for food. They eat fruits and foliage which provide them with a balance in nutrients. Apart from eating fruits, they can also eat leaves, herbs, barks, and sugar which gives them energy.
Mountain gorillas are one of the two subspecies of the eastern gorillas. Mountain gorillas live in the rainforests which have plenty of fruits and it is while known that gorillas prefer eating fruits than any other food. Besides eating fruits they can also feed on vegetables like leaves, bamboo shoots, pith, sticking to stems, moth, roots, and grubs. They also eat small insects like ants, termites and besides that, mountain gorillas rarely drink water because of some fruits they eat which contain protein and sometimes they fed on herbs, and bark. It is noted that mountain gorillas feed on 250 species of plants in their habitats.
Eastern lowland gorillas are subspecies of the eastern gorilla that inhabit the mountainous forests of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in Kahuzi Beiga national park and Maiko national park. The main diet of eastern lowland gorillas includes fruits, stems, leaves, and barks as well as insects like termites and ants. It is well known that gorillas do not eat banana fruits instead they destroy banana trees to eat the nutritious pith, and farmers who have their plantations close to their habitats are warned.
Cross River gorillas are subspecies of the western gorilla found to the forested hills and mountain of Nigeria & Cameroon and they usually live in small groups of 4 to 7 individuals with few males and a few female members. Their main diet comprises of fruit which grows in large supplements from August to September and November to January. Apart from fruits they also fed on the primary diet made up of barks, leaves of the trees and herbs. Perhaps cross river gorillas food is seasonal since their diets feed on nutritious vegetation that grows near their nesting place.
Travellers who have been part of gorilla trekking in any of the countries where gorillas inhabit such as Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo, they get a chance to know more about the food gorillas eat through getting information from our local guides who explain the various roles of all plants that gorillas eat because some plants are medicines to endangered gorillas.
