Although their large body size lends them dietary flexibility relative to chimpanzees, seasonal fruit-eating shapes the foraging and ranging patterns of western lowland gorillas. At Bai Hokou and across their range, resources are temporally discontinuous, and western gorilla diet exhibits marked seasonal and interannual variation. Although gorillas ate fleshy fruit whenever it was available, herbaceous plants and fibrous fruits were consumed year-round and were important during times of fleshy fruit scarcity. Seeds were present in 99% of all fecal samples (n = 859). The gorillas studied at Bai Hokou, Central African Republic, between August 1990 and October 1992 consumed 239 kinds of foods from 138 species of plants and invertebrates, including the fruits of 77 species. Western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) as seasonal frugivores: use of variable resources I’ve battled severe digestive issues, recurrent infections, and at age 23, a devastating diagnosis of thyroid cancer that had spread to my lymph nodes and returned three times, leading to multiple surgeries. Based on my family history (if you believe that genetics determine your destiny), I should be obese, diabetic, and afflicted by heart disease - with high risk for dementia looming in the future.
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If that sounds hard to believe, I’d like to share the remarkable discoveries I’ve made during a 20-year quest for healing foods, culminating with my upcoming book, The Omni Diet: The Revolutionary 70% Plant + 30% Protein Plan to Lose Weight, Reverse Disease, Fight Inflammation, and Change Your Life Forever (St. What’s more, embracing your inner beast could help you slim down, without having to resort to a highly restrictive, low-calorie diet that leaves you ravenous and grumpy. The family is on the move and stop to feast on fresh bamboo shoots, but they are also straying dangerously close to the edge of the reserve.Īping a wild gorilla’s eating habits could dramatically improve your health - or may even add years to your life, by reducing your risk for killer diseases like diabetes, heart attack, stroke and dementia. Lowland gorillas live in the forests of central and western Africa in Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. HabitatMountain gorillas live in Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on green, volcanic mountains. According to the World Wildlife Federation& (WWF), gorillas are the world’s largest primate. They are 4 to 6 feet tall and weigh 300 to 485 lbs. Mountain gorillas are about the same height, though they tend to weigh a bit more. For example, mountain gorillas tend to have longer hair, whereas lowland gorillas have short, soft hair, according to the Smithsonian. Another difference is size. Though the two types are very similar, they have a few differences. The mountain gorilla lives in the mountainous regions of central Africa, while the lowland gorilla lives in the flat, dense forests of central and western Africa. They are typically divided into two groups. Habitat – Gorillas are large apes that are native to Africa. Gorillas, the largest of the great apes, are endangered in their native African habitats, largely by human activity.
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Protein-Rich Diet Helps Gorillas Keep Lean.Western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) as seasonal frugivores: use of variable resources.