Western gorilla Facts for Kids

Gorillas are the biggest apes. They live in families called troops. At night they make a leafy nest to sleep in.

A troop is led by an older male called a silverback, because the hair on his back turns silvery gray as he grows up. He keeps the troop safe and leads it to where the best food grows. Gorillas spend most of the day eating, and they thump their chests to show how strong they are.

Gorillas are great apes, close cousins of chimpanzees and people. They eat leaves, stems and fruit, and each night they bend branches and leaves into a fresh nest. Every gorilla has its own pattern of wrinkles on its nose, and researchers use these nose prints to tell gorillas apart. Western gorillas are critically endangered because forests are cleared, poachers hunt them and diseases spread among them, so rangers and protected parks work to keep them safe.