Reproduction Female Western Lowland Gorillas do not produce many offspring due to the fact that they do not reach sexual maturity until the age of 8 or 9. Female gorillas give birth to one infant after a pregnancy of nearly nine months. Unlike their powerful parents, newborns are tiny—weighing four pounds—and able only to cling to their mothers' fur. These infants ride on their mothers' backs from the age of four months through the first two or three years of their lives. Infants can be dependent on their mother for up to five years.
Young At birth, infant gorillas weigh 4 – 5 pounds (1.8 – 2.3 kilograms) and have sparse hair covering their pink-grey skin.
Behavior Western Lowland Gorillas form small, non-territorial harems usually dominated by a single, mature male gorilla. They live in structured family groups. A group will consist of one adult silver back gorilla, several unrelated female gorillas and infant gorillas. The silver back gorilla is the dominant gorilla in the family and he regulates the schedule of his group. Western Lowland Gorillas will spend several hours of the morning eating, take a break in the middle of the day and then eat again before nightfall. During the mid-day break, young gorillas play with each other while the adults sleep.
Predators/Enemies Leopards,odd crocodiles,and humans are the Western Lowland Gorillas enemies.
Conservation Status The World Conservation Union developed strategies for the survival of the Western Lowland Gorillas.Examples are building larger capacities in places, like zoos.