Silverback Gorilla
In The Flesh
A silverback gorilla seen in the wild must rank as one of the
greatest animal experiences available in the world. People who have experienced
it all agree on that.
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This awe inspiring animal can weight up to 180
kilograms and be up to 1.8m tall in rare cases.
Their life expectancy averages between 29 and 51 years if they manage to survive that long
because poaching and habitat destruction are a real threat to them.
So where does the name come from? Take a close look at
gorilla pictures of adult males and you
might see one with silver hair on
its back. Literally taken from there.
The colour change from black normally occurs around the
age of 13 when the adult males reach maturity sexually.
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How to see a silverback gorilla up close and
personal:
There are a number of places left in Africa where you can see them in the flesh:
The mountain species is found in Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC (Congo).
The western lowland species is located in Congo, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea
and Gabon.
The eastern lowland species live in eastern DRC.
All of them are endangered and the mountain gorillas in particular are teetering
on the brink of extinction with only about 800 of them left.
For advice, insights and recommendations from others who have been on safari to
see these beautiful creatures already, take a look at these
Uganda safari travel diaries and Rwanda travel reports.
I have also set up a top three list of the
gorilla trekking companies available for a trip to Africa and you can do
some research on affordable flights to Uganda
here.
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