ZOOTRITIONAnimals StudiedAquilina's Biography

Aquilina the Gorilla

From The Foutch Virtual Zoo	Aquilina at a glance....
	Name:	Aquilina
	Latin Name:	Gorilla gorilla gorilla
	Sex:	Female
	Weight:	94 kg/207 lbs
	Age:	16

 

Photo by Tim Knight	Gorillas at a Glance
	Genus name:	Gorilla
	Native Habitat:	Tropical rain forests, swamps, abandoned fields, Riverain Edges, and clearings
	Avg. Weight:	Male: 136-227 kg/300-500 lbs Female: 91-113 kg/200-250kg
	Avg. Height:	Male: 1.8 m/5.6 ft Female: 1.4 m/4.6 ft

 

Additional information about Gorillas

The Gorilla is the largest of all the primates. It is a close relative to humans. The gorilla dwells in the forests of some African regions. They live in groups of 5 to 20. A gorilla has a broad, shallow chest, stocky build and a short trunk with longer arms than legs. The color coats of females and young males is brown to black. The adult male is black with a gray or silver back. However, the gorilla does not have hair on its face, hands, feet, and the chests of males are bare. Additionally, adult, female gorillas tend to be shorter than adult males, who weigh about twice more than the females. Males average a height of 5.6 feet and a weight of 300-500 pounds in the wild. Whereas a female's average height is 4.6 feet and the average weight is about 200-250 pounds. The animals support their weight on their knuckles. Many captive gorillas exhibit a capacity for complex learning and the ability to use an enormous part of their memories. Zoological parks offer all the public an opportunity to see and learn about the gorillas and the other animal inhabitants of the earth. Unfortunately, the gorilla has become more endangered over the recent past. The reasons for the near extinction are due to human activities. These activities include loss of habitat due to farming, grazing, and lumbering; the illegal hunting for food; and the illegal hunting for black market trophies of the animals' hands, feet and skin.

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