--- title: "Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) | AnimalTracks.wiki" description: "Up to 220 kilograms of plant-eating ape, a chest beat heard more than a kilometer away, and the only great ape whose numbers are growing." image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/mountain-gorilla-1.webp" published: "2026-09-01" updated: "2026-09-23" --- # Mountain Gorilla (*Gorilla beringei beringei*) > **Status**: Checked against 5 sources, listed under Sources below. > **Tagline**: Up to 220 kilograms of plant-eating ape, a chest beat heard more than a kilometer away, and the only great ape whose numbers are growing. > **Soundtrack Vibe**: Big Beat & 90s Acid Techno // The Chemical Brothers, "Block Rockin' Beats" > **Soundtrack Links**: [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/1FNvrp5K02oThumS6gllzp) > **Vibe Match**: Big beat is built on one enormous drum break, for a silverback that usually rises onto two legs and beats his chest with cupped hands into a drumroll heard more than a kilometer away. The bigger the male, the lower the pitch, so the beat tells rivals how big the drummer is. ## Biological Superpowers & Stats - **Taxonomy**: *Gorilla beringei beringei* - **Danger Level**: High - **Conservation Status**: Endangered ([IUCN Red List](https://www.iucnredlist.org/)) - **Superpower**: A chest-beat drumroll that can be heard more than a kilometer away, pitched lower the bigger the male beating it. - **Habitat**: Cloud forests and dense bamboo slopes of the Virunga volcanic mountains and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest - **Diet**: Wild celery, bamboo, thistles, wood, and roots - **Tags**: primate, rainforest, mountains, herbivore ## Natural History & Behavior ## A Drumroll Sized to the Drummer The mountain gorilla (*Gorilla beringei beringei*) is one of two subspecies of the eastern gorilla. When a silverback puts on a display, he usually rises onto two legs and beats his chest with cupped hands, producing a drumroll that can be heard more than a kilometer away. Researchers who recorded six wild silverbacks in Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park found that bigger males beat at a lower pitch than smaller ones. Across the six, the average peak pitch was about 639 Hz. That makes the chest beat an honest signal: the sound itself carries information about how big the drummer is. Chest beats are thought to help males judge a rival's fighting ability, though the researchers say future studies still need to show that listening gorillas use it. > **An honest drum** The bigger the silverback, the lower the pitch of his chest beat. Researchers call that an honest signal, and it can be heard more than a kilometer away. ## Built to Chew Bark A mountain gorilla eats up to 18 kilograms (40 pounds) of vegetation a day. Its favorites include celery, thistles, wood, and roots, and it rarely needs to drink, because its juicy food and the morning dew on it are full of water. Tree bark is the toughest item on the menu: a study of food plants from Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks measured its fracture toughness at up to 8.2 kilojoules per square meter, tougher than the leaves and bamboo gorillas also eat. The researchers suggest that tough bark, pith, and stems may be key reasons mountain gorillas evolved such robust jaws and faces. ## Four Parks, Three Countries Mountain gorillas live in three countries, across just four national parks: Bwindi Impenetrable, Mgahinga Gorilla, Volcanoes, and Virunga. In the Virunga volcanoes, which separate the Democratic Republic of Congo from Rwanda and Uganda, they mostly live in montane cloud forest, and sometimes climb as high as 4,000 meters into afro-alpine meadows where nights turn subfreezing and there is little food to forage. Their hair is longer than other gorillas', and that thick black coat helps insulate them from the cold. A 2026 study comparing gorillas from Bwindi and the Virungas found that males from the two places end up almost the same adult size, while Bwindi females stay smaller and keep growing for longer. ## An Endangered Comeback The IUCN moved mountain gorillas from Critically Endangered to Endangered in 2018. About 1,000 live in the wild, according to the most recent census, and they are the only great ape whose population is increasing. They live in groups of 2 to 40, each led by a silverback. Poachers often target infants, and conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo threatens the gorillas' future. As more people move in close to the gorillas, they bring the risk of human diseases such as flu and pneumonia. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Why do silverback gorillas beat their chests? To send a signal that carries. Silverbacks usually rise onto two legs and slap cupped hands against their chest, producing a drumroll that can be heard more than a kilometer away. Recordings of six wild silverbacks in Rwanda found that bigger males beat at a lower pitch than smaller ones, so the sound carries honest information about a male's size. Chest beats are thought to help males size up rivals, though researchers still need to show that listening gorillas actually use that information. *(Source: [Wright et al. 2021]())* ### How much food does an adult mountain gorilla eat daily? Up to 18 kilograms (40 pounds) of vegetation a day. Their favorites include celery, thistles, wood, and roots, and they rarely need to drink, because their juicy plants and the morning dew on them are full of water. *(Source: [African Wildlife Foundation]())* ### How do mountain gorillas survive freezing temperatures in high-altitude volcanoes? With a thick coat. Mountain gorillas have longer hair than other gorillas, and that thick black hair helps insulate them from the cold. They mostly live in the montane cloud forest of the Virunga volcanoes, but sometimes climb to 4,000 meters into afro-alpine meadows, where nights drop below freezing and there is little to eat. *(Source: [Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan 2001]())* ## Sources 1. [Wright et al. (2021). Chest beats as an honest signal of body size in male mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei). Scientific Reports.]() 2. [Elgart-Berry (2004). Fracture toughness of mountain gorilla (Gorilla gorilla beringei) food plants. American Journal of Primatology.]() 3. [McFarlin et al. (2026). Variation in body size growth trajectories between ecologically distinct mountain gorilla populations. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.]() 4. [Gorilla beringei (eastern gorilla). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan, 2001.]() 5. [Mountain Gorilla. African Wildlife Foundation.]() *Published September 1, 2026. 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