The sleeping places of the gorillas consist of self-made nests of branches and leaves, that can lie either at the ground or in the branches. If they don't rest straight, they spend its time mostly with food-search and food-absorption. Gorillas prefer plant food: leaves, shoots, fruits, bulbs, bark, climbing plants and nettles. They also eat ants, termites, larvae and worms.
There are three types of gorillas: western lowland gorillas, eastern lowland gorillas and mountain gorillas. The names refer to the areas in Africa where they live. Mountain gorillas are the most endangered gorillas, and there are only about 400-600 of them left.
Gorillas are shy and peaceful. Their only natural enemies are humans. Gorillas are still hunted for their meat or as a special trophy. They are also often caught in traps for other animals. Formerly, when a gorilla baby was captured for zoo, its mother and often the whole family were killed because they defended the small gorilla baby. Today, the biggest threat to the wild gorillas is the explosive growth of the human population. As more and more people need more and more land for agriculture and other development, gorillas have less and less habitat.
Many different organizations are working in Africa to defend the gorillas, like for example:
The Dian Fossey Gorilla
Fund Fauna and Flora International
African Wildlife Foundation
Wildlife Conservation Society
