Last Updated on March 26, 2023 by
Introduction
Gorillas live in groups of one male, multiple females and their offspring. The dominant male is given the respect of all other members of the family group. The female gorillas’ role is to look after the young until they are old enough to survive without maternal support.
Diet of mountain gorilla
The diet of the mountain gorilla is very different and includes mostly bamboo. A study looking into the nutritional value of leaves on a gorillas menu concluded that: “Bamboo species may be an important part of the diets of these animals because they contain reasonably high levels of crude protein and can accumulate relatively high amounts of calcium.”Gorillas cannot digest cellulose, so most other vegetation has little or no nutritional value for them. In consequence, their digestive tract is unusually short, being about six times smaller than a human’s.
The diet of gorilla depends on its subspecies, but typically it includes:
- Stems
- Bamboo shoots
- Roots
- Fruits
Males require more protein than females. They sustain themselves on insects such as termites or ants. They also break open nests by punching them with their fists or stamping on them with their feet. On average a gorilla eats 25 kg (55 lb) per day. This can be supplemented with pithy plant stems which have little nutritional value but are high in fiber. The Western lowland gorilla is more adaptable with its diet, typically eating fallen fruit and nuts, but supplements this with insects such as termites and ants. It also eats vertebrates such as lizards and tree frogs.
Living style of gorilla
The Cross River gorilla, which inhabits the forests in Cameroon and Nigeria, has a much lower population density than any other subspecies (and therefore less competition over resources), and generally forages in smaller groups of between two or three individuals. One study has found that when predators are around, the Cross River gorillas chose to remain in small family units rather than band together for protection. Females become sexually mature at eight years old while males mature later at 11 years old.
Strength of a gorilla
Gorillas are incredibly strong because their arms are so long and so big around (compared to their torsos). However, they only have about 7% body fat, so there’s not as much flesh inside those arms giving them support like humans have. With enough training, their muscle coordination would be impressive, but at the same time, they’d probably hurt themselves if they tried to lift too much weight; similar to us trying something crazy with our muscles, like lifting a car.
How much can a gorilla bench?
The gorilla would most likely bench press around 3,000 pounds (1,360 kg), which is what they’re believed to weigh on average without food and water. It seems like a lot until you realize that its arm length and girth probably adds at least another 2,000 pounds (907 kg) or more since it has pretty meaty arms and gorilla chest muscles. However, this is my belief; we can’t know for sure because there’s no proof of how much gorillas actually do lift in their daily lives as far as weight goes. It’s possible that they could bench press upwards of 1 ton with enough training.
With enough safety precautions in place, I think a gorilla would be capable of benching around 1 ton with the right training (maybe longer since they get stronger when they get older) but I don’t think anything over 1 ton is realistic for an animal that has spent its entire life without ever needing to lift stuff up off of itself or against things.
Thinking of people about weight lifting
Tons of people saying that gorillas can bench press upwards of 1,000 pounds (450 kg), and some claim that gorillas on average can lift 4,000 lbs (1,810 kg) if they go into a rage. But this seems difficult because this weight hurt them. Most people who claim he lifted 4,000 lbs are basing their estimations off what they’ve read in old articles written in 1979; which can’t be verified unless you buy the magazine itself.
Maximum weight lifting
When you look into the claims of gorillas being able to lift upwards of 1 ton (900 kg), you’ll find sources like “National Geographic” and Mirror; both of which make me question their validity. They claim gorillas can sometimes dead lift an amazing 8 tons (7,000 kg). Not only are these claims unproven (because there aren’t any videos or pictures of them doing this kind of stuff, and it wasn’t caught on film by any means). If we were to take these claims at face value, then we’d have to assume that gorillas can lift 88 times its own body weight (which is ridiculous); and even though gorillas are strong just like us. It’s safe to say that we need more than just one example of a gorilla lifting heavy weights for us to assume that they’re capable of lifting 5+ tons in any given situation, much less being able to do so repeatedly without hurting themselves.
Weight lifting according to their body weight
It’s said that gorillas can lift around this weight on average with enough training. However, we still have to take into account the fact that they probably only weigh 2/3 of what a human does which means that they’re capable of dead lifting 3x their bodyweight+, not 8x their own bodyweight. In this case, I don’t think anything over 2 tons is realistic for an animal that spends its entire life without ever needing to perform tasks like these.
Strength in muscles
However, there’s no denying the fact that gorilla muscles are incredibly strong relative to their own bodyweight. In one experiment, a gorilla named “Suzette” was able to support a weight of around 320 lbs (145 kg) on her back for nearly 10 seconds before falling off balance and falling onto her side. This is pretty incredible when consider that this would require the gorilla to dead lift an entire 2/3 of their own bodyweight.
Endanger specie
The IUCN lists all subspecies as endangered due to most populations being in decline from habitat destruction caused by logging. However, some areas have had recent population increases with protected areas now existing within their habitat range.
Frequently asked questions
- Are gorillas friendly?
Yes, they are friendly, humble and have shy nature.
- Does gorilla are afraid of anything?
Yes, they afraid of water. They do not swim. And some mountain gorillas are afraid of some insects.
