Quick answer
Key facts about mountain gorilla — size, diet, habitat, and conservation in one place.
Silverback society
Each group centres on a dominant silverback male who leads, protects, and mediates disputes among females and younger males. Groups typically contain 5–30 individuals with strong bonds — grooming, play, and vocalisations maintain cohesion in dense forest where visibility is limited.
High-altitude foraging
Mountain gorillas spend much of the day eating bulky vegetation — wild celery, bamboo shoots, thistles, and nettles — requiring hours of continuous feeding to meet energy needs at cold elevations. They rarely drink standing water, obtaining moisture from plants.
Conservation turnaround
Famously studied by Dian Fossey, mountain gorillas fell to roughly 250 individuals in the 1980s from poaching, habitat loss, and war. Intensive anti-poaching patrols, veterinary care, and ecotourism revenue helped numbers recover past 1,000 — one of conservation's rare success stories.
Ongoing threats
Listed Endangered, mountain gorillas remain confined to two small forest blocks straddling Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Political instability, snares set for antelope, disease transmission from humans, and climate-driven habitat shifts still pose risks.