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Silverback Gorilla Facts: Silver back gorillas Weight, Size, Diet & Sex
- Written by: Anthony N
- December 12, 2024
Silverback Gorilla Facts: Everything you need to know about Silverback gorillas: Weight, Size, Diet
Silverback gorillas are undoubtedly among the most fascinating creatures on Earth that shall keep you amazed upon an encounter with them.
Yes, you guessed it right. A silverback is the most dominant alpha male gorilla in a given gorilla family.
It’s important much as these adorable gentle giants are incredible, they are very rare especially for the fact that they cannot survive in the zoos. This means the only place you can sightsee the giant mountain silverback gorillas is the mountainous areas of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.
As the leaders of their troops, Silverback gorillas play vital roles in gorilla communities. Understanding their behavior, habitat, social structure and respective body size helps you appreciate their unique place in the animal kingdom.
What Is a Silverback Gorilla?
Silverback gorillas are mature male gorillas aged 15 or older. Their name comes from the silver patch of hair on their back, which develops as they age. These gorillas are known for their incredible strength, intelligence, and leadership within their troop.
In a single gorilla community (family), it’s possible to have one or two silverbacks. These silverbacks are greatly respected and have the highest influence on where the family live, behave and feed.
Silverbacks have larger heads, bodies and may weigh up to 270 kilograms.
Roles/Behaviors of Silverback Gorillas
Silverback gorillas, just like adult human beings have similar behaviors. They majorly exhibit mature and exemplary behaviors that include taking care and guiding the youngsters.
Protecting the community: The silver backs take strong obligation and responsibility to guide and protect their family from predators such as lions, leopards and humans. Because of their strong senses and experiences, they can easily detect predators and alerts the family in advance. One of the ways the silverback gorilla protects the family is by beating the chest to scare the predators.
Social Skills: Since gorillas live in families just like humans, one of the major roles of the silverbacks is to solve disputes and maintain harmony among group members. This may include appraising and punishing other members in accordance to the nature of dispute.
Parenting: They nurture and protect young gorillas, often playing with them. Also, the silverback gorillas are known to teach young gorillas on what to eat, how to behave and protect themselves from predators and themselves.
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Habitat and Diet
Because of the inability of mountain gorillas to survive in the zoos, Silverback gorillas can therefore only be found in the dense forests of Central and East Africa, particularly in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga National parks, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
If you want to visit these adorable giants, you should consider planning a Gorilla safari to any or two of these destinations since each destination offers a unique gorilla trekking experience.
Silverback gorilla Diet
Silverback gorillas and other gorillas are primarily herbivorous meaning they only eating leaves, bamboo shoots, fruits, and occasionally ants or termites.
Strength of a silverback gorilla?
It’s important to know that a fully grown adult gorilla can weigh around 270 kgs which is about twice the weight of the strongest man on earth.
Silverbacks usually are 9 times stronger than an average adult human being. A fully grown silverback gorilla is about twice the weight of an adult man. They usually have a huge muscle mass and rapidly lift or destroy almost any predators.
Are silverback gorillas aggressive?
As opposed to what most people think and believe, a silver back gorilla is a very peaceful giant and only leave by charisma and example. He rarely uses force and only does so when he must!
In fact, a silverback gorilla only becomes aggressive when it encounters a threat, detects unexpected rivals or if he wants to assert dominance. rivals can mean males from other groups, stubborn members of his group, other predator animals like leopards or humans visiting a group that is not habituated.
An immediate action when a silverback gorilla detects a threat or another rival silverback from another group is to attempt to warn off the intruder. He does this by standing up while drumming up his chest.
If the above action doesn’t work, he will tear up and through plants at the intruder while making a deafening sound. The silverback will then make a mock attack using all four legs. If all this doesn’t work and the threat or intruder hasn’t yet got the message, the silverback will attack directly and deliver a blow with the hands or teeth.
A silverback gorilla will defend his group and especially infants to the death. It is one reason why poachers and pet traders target the silverback if they wish to capture an infant.
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How to See Silverback Gorillas?
You can only see silverbacks or any other gorilla after planning a gorilla trek. It’s without a doubt that Gorilla trekking whether in Uganda, Congo or Rwanda is one of the most exciting and rewarding adventures.
Tips to plan a successful gorilla trek;
- Ensure you book your gorilla safari (gorilla permit) early enough to avoid the chances of missing out since gorilla permits may sellout. There are a few spots per day, so take note of this.
- Hire the service of a Knowledgeable safari company that has experienced guides to help guide, advice and recommend the best gorilla trekking sector to match your desired expectations.
- Since gorilla trekking involves some level of hikes, it’s recommended that you have some level of fitness. Be prepared for challenging hikes in hilly terrain.
- Get in touch with us for advice regarding the country or gorilla trekking sector to track from. Not all countries and gorilla sectors offer similar experiences.
Conclusively,
Silverback gorillas are incredible giants that act as the leaders of a given gorilla family. They are greatly responsible for the protections, parenting and guiding of the entire family.
Seeing these adorable giants can be life-changing and very fulfilling however, friendly Gorillas is happy to arrange affordable gorilla safaris to any gorilla trekking destinations in Uganda, Rwanda or Congo.
Silverback gorillas are more than just leaders—they’re the heart of their troop. Observing them is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Ready to meet them in the wild?
Anthony N
Anthony is a former Software Engineer tuned Safari Curator Enthusiast.
Combining technical expertise with creativity, he excels in crafting destination guides, cultural insights, and tech-enhanced travel content.
Believing in the transformative power of travel, Anthony inspires responsible travel and sustainability.
Featured in top travel publications and known for his workshops, he mentors aspiring creators while guiding audiences on authentic and meaningful journeys.
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