Mountain Gorilla Facts

I've always been fascinated by other primates. I'm not sure what it is about them, exactly, that makes them so fascinating to me. I recently watched an episode of An Idiot Abroad 2, in which Karl Pilkington takes a trip to come face to face with a mountain gorilla and it inspired me to share some information about them. Here are some interesting facts about mountain gorillas, a truly fascinating animal that may not be around for much longer:

• Mountain gorillas are one of the most endangered animals on the planet. There are only approximately 700 left in the world.
  
• Mountain gorillas have largely been hunted to extinction by poachers who keep them as trophies.
  
• Mountain gorillas are the largest primates living on Earth today.
  
• Mountain gorillas are one of the pound-for-pound strongest animals on the planet. It is estimated that a male silverback has the strength of 10 large, athletic men. They could literally tear a person apart limb from limb if they wanted to.
  
• Mountain gorillas are peaceful creatures. Despite their enormous fangs and incredible strength, they rarely fight with other animals. However, if two males from different tribes clash, they will often fight to death.
  
• Genetically, mountain gorillas are 98 percent similar to human beings, making them one of our closest relatives in the animal kingdom.
  
• Mountain gorillas are one of only two subspecies of the Eastern gorilla. There are only two species of gorilla that exist: the Eastern and the Western.
  
• Mountain gorillas are virtually herbivores. They do not eat any meat. Their diet consists of mostly leaves and shoots from more than 140 varieties of plants, but about 0.1 percent of their diet consists of insects, such as ants and termites.
  

It is hard and sad to believe that these close relatives of ours, who such remarkable creatures, may not be around in as little as a few years. Scientists have been considering relocating them and helping them mate to increase their numbers for some time now. I, for one, hope they do.