Western Lowland Gorillas
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The photographs on this page are from the official Paignton Zoo site and were taken by local amatuer photographer Kelvin Halloran.
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The Western Lowland Gorilla is found in tropical rainforests in Eastern Nigeria, Cameroon, Southwestern Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, the Congo, Gabon and Cabina.
The Gorilla, Orangutan and Chimpanzee are considered the "Great Apes" and all are endangered.
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Gorilla's live in groups called troops and spend most of their time on the ground. Each troop, from 7-20 gorillas, is led by a Silverback male who protects and keeps the group together. The "King Kong" type of aggression is rarely seen. Gorillas are typically quiet and gentle. Males will beat their chests as part of a ritual that sometimes includes hooting and thumping on the ground. This behaviour is not clearly understood but seems to reflect excitment.
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The Gorilla belongs to a group known as Primates, primates are distinguished from other animals by the following features:
1) The ability to grasp things with hands.
2) Greater intelligence due to enlargement of the brain.
3)Refined stereoscopic vision with improved depth perception.
4) Flat nails rather than claws(in most cases)
5)Intense and extended nurturing of the young.
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