Western lowland gorillas are typically lighter coloured than their Eastern relatives, and often have a reddish-brown forehead.


Females give birth about once every 4 years, starting at approximately 10 years old. Sadly, a high mortality rate means that surviving offspring are only produced once every 6 - 8 years. Young nurse for about 3 - 4 years; their mothers provide them with food, transportation, and socialization. Males don't interact much with young, but do protect them. Gorillas live in groups of 5 - 15 individuals, typically with one dominant male known as a silverback, because of his age-related greying hair.
Though they are the largest primates, gorillas are very peaceful. They seek to resolve confrontations with displays, rarely coming to blows. These displays often involve noise-making including chest beating, which is done with cupped hands (not fists) and bluff charges.


Photo taken at the Calgary Zoo, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.