Because gorillas are so closely related to humans, they can suffer from different diseases transmitted by humans. In times of civil unrest, refugees have turned to bushmeat for sustenance and gorillas, as well as other apes, have suffered as a result. Habitat destruction, disease, and war also have heavy effects on gorilla populations. Gorillas face the major threat of poaching- being intentionally hunted and killed or unintentionally killed by traps set for other animals. The western gorilla is more populous than the eastern gorilla, however, the number of individuals in the wild is very low. “Critically endangered” is the most severe status before extinction in the wild and total extinction. Western and eastern lowland gorillas, and Cross River gorillas are categorized as critically endangered. Mountain gorillas are listed as endangered on the IUCN red list. Elephants are the strongest of all in the animal kingdom and can lift up to 19,800 pounds! How are Gorillas Doing Today? An infant gorilla clings to its mother.Īll subspecies of gorillas are in grave danger today. Oxen have historically been very important to the agricultural industry because individually they have a towing capacity of 1,680 pounds. The leafcutter ant, for example, can carry loads up to 50 times its body weight! These ants use their strength to cut leaves that they bring back to their colonies. Many other animals are exceptionally strong relative to their size. What are Some Other Strong Animals? A female elephant, like the one seen here, can weigh several tons. To put that into perspective, the average American male can lift 0.87 time his bodyweight. So, how strong are gorillas? According to the Guinness World Records, the most weight a gorilla is on record lifting is 1,800 pounds! Some hypotheses have suggested that gorillas can lift up to 10 times their bodyweight. The Most Weight Ever Lifted by a Gorilla A gorilla relies on its strong jaw muscles to consume food such as nuts and tree bark. Eastern and western lowland gorillas also occasionally eat ants and termites. The leaves and foliage that gorillas rely on are low in nutrients so the must eat a large volume to meet their needs. There is some variation in diet amongst the different gorilla subspecies, but their diets typically include foliage, fruit, and other plant material. Gorillas must eat a lot of meat to fuel such size and strength, right? Surprisingly, gorillas are primarily herbivores. What do Gorillas Eat to Get So Strong? A baby gorilla chewing on a stick. Click for more on functional adaptations in gorillas. The way gorillas walk therefore has greatly influenced their musculature. Both orangutans and gorillas in these examples demonstrate how everyday functionality affects structure over time. As a result, gorillas have joints capable of stable terrestrial movement, and very muscular hindlimbs for weight-bearing and propulsion. Gorillas have adaptations for quadrupedal locomotion, which is walking on four limbs. Since orangutans move around by hanging and swinging on branches, also known as brachiation, they have developed specialized shoulder joints and unique muscle distribution. These two apes, however, move around very differently which has had substantial influence on their body structures over evolutionary time. Of the great apes, orangutans and gorillas are the largest and are both exceptionally strong. This is very common in the animal kingdom and especially amongst primates. Sexual dimorphism is a natural phenomenon where males and females of the same species have very distinct characteristics such as size or coloration. The large difference in size between males and females is an example of sexual dimorphism. Wild male gorillas weigh between 300 and 500 pounds on average and females weigh between 150 and 250 pounds. Much of a gorilla’s strength can be attributed to its large body size. These are definitely very big creatures, but does their strength match their size? At first glance, a gorilla’s muscular build would suggest yes, they are very strong- but how strong? This article will investigate how gorillas maintain their incredible size and strength and will ask: how strong are gorillas? How a Gorilla’s Body Adds to their Strength Gorillas are the largest primates in the world! Gorillas are the world’s largest living primate species weighing in at a maximum of 860 pounds! You can learn more about the world’s largest gorilla here.
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