Eastern Lowland Gorilla - Habitat and Ecology

Habitat and Ecology

Gorillas must eat frequently due to their large size and therefore must spend long hours feeding everyday. Gorillas are stable apes as they travel together for months and years at a time, much like the structure of a family. Gorillas travel in permanent groups because of their foliage diet, which allows them to travel. In comparison to the Western Gorillas, the groupings of eastern gorillas are usually much larger and split into temporary groups much less frequently.

The Eastern Lowland Gorilla has the widest altitudinal range of any of the gorilla subspecies as they can be found in mountainous, transitional and lowland tropical forests. One of the most-studied eastern lowland gorilla population lives in the highlands of Kahuzi-Biega where habitats vary between dense primary forests to moderately moist woodland, to Cyperus swamp and peat bog.

The Eastern Lowland Gorilla has a varied diet including plants, fruits, seeds, leaves, stems and bark as well as small insects such as ants and termites. Although they occasionally feed on ants, it is only a minor part of their diet. In comparison to Grauer’s gorillas, found in low altitude forests, Eastern Lowland Gorillas travel much less and increase their consumption of herbaceous vegetation.