Explore the field guide
Gorilla
Rwanda Schedules 21st Kwita Izina Gorilla Naming Ceremony for September 4, 2026
Rwanda has scheduled the 21st Kwita Izina mountain gorilla naming ceremony for September 4, 2026 in Kinigi, Musanze District.
Study Explores Personality and Cognitive Enrichment in Western Gorillas
A 2026 study followed 17 zoo-housed western gorillas using a food-extraction task and found learning alongside individual differences.
Study Finds Different Growth Patterns in Two Mountain Gorilla Populations
Non-invasive measurements of 197 wild mountain gorillas found population differences in growth between Bwindi and the Virunga Massif.
Study: Male Mountain Gorilla Hormones Follow a Different Developmental Sequence From Humans
A 2026 study used non-invasive fecal sampling to track testosterone and DHEAS across the male mountain gorilla lifespan.
How Gorillas Sleep and Build Nests
Gorillas usually build a fresh sleeping nest from vegetation. Learn where they sleep, how nests are made and how scientists use nests to study populations.
How Gorillas Communicate: Sounds, Gestures and Displays
Gorillas communicate with vocalizations, intentional gestures, facial expressions, touch and displays. Explore what these signals mean—and their limits.
Gorilla Social Groups: Families, Silverbacks and Group Life
Gorillas live in cohesive social groups built around lasting relationships. Learn how silverbacks, females, infants and dispersing gorillas shape group life.
Why Do Gorillas Beat Their Chests? What the Research Shows
Short answer: Gorilla chest beating is a visual and acoustic signal. Research on wild mountain gorillas shows that larger adult males produce lower-frequency chest beats, so the sound can communicate body size. Chest beats may help gorillas assess rivals, attract mates and manage encounters without immediate physical fighting. Last fact-checked: August 2026. Findings about signal…
How Much Could a Gorilla Bench Press? Why There Is No Scientific Number
Short answer: Nobody knows how much a gorilla could bench press. No published controlled study has trained a gorilla to perform the human barbell exercise or measured a one-repetition maximum. Exact answers circulating online are estimates without a standardized scientific basis. Last fact-checked: August 2026. We do not present speculative lifting figures as measured facts.…
How Much Does a Silverback Gorilla Weigh?
Short answer: A silverback is a mature adult male gorilla, not a separate species. Adult male weight varies by taxon and individual. Smithsonian reports that western lowland adult males average about 300 pounds (136 kilograms) and may reach about 500 pounds (227 kilograms). Silverback weight at a glance Measurement Approximate figure Important context Western lowland…
Do Gorillas Have Tails? Ape Anatomy and Evolution
Short answer: Gorillas do not have external tails. They are apes, and all living apes—including gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, gibbons and humans—lack an external tail. Gorillas are apes, not monkeys The tail is one useful visible distinction between apes and most monkeys, although classification depends on evolutionary relationships rather than one body part. Gorillas belong…
How Many Gorillas Are Left? Population Estimates by Subspecies
Short answer: There is no single, real-time count of every gorilla. The best published estimates were produced in different years with different survey methods. They indicate roughly 361,900 western lowland gorillas, fewer than 300 Cross River gorillas, about 6,800 Grauer’s gorillas and 1,063 mountain gorillas. These figures should not be treated as a precise current…
