Mountain Gorilla families are led and protected by a dominant male known as a “silverback gorilla.” Aptly name for his silver "saddle". Although mountain gorillas are frequently portrayed as aggressive, dangerous killers, perhaps due to Hollywood films, conversely they are social animals that are rather shy, peaceful vegetarians that are active during the day. This point was originally proven by Dian Fossey when photographs showing the gorilla "Peanuts" touching Fossey's hand depicted the first recorded peaceful
contact between a human being and a wild gorilla.
Male gorillas are much larger than the females, and are almost twice as heavy. Adult male mountain gorillas are called silverbacks because they have a saddle-shaped patch of silver hair on their backs after they have reached about 12 years of age.
Female gorillas carefully nurture their young. Baby gorillas learn to crawl at about 2 months and can walk before they are 9 months old. They can grasp their mother's fur to ride on her back at 4 months.
Baby gorillas are fed mother's milk for the first 2 1/2 years of life. When they are weaned, gorillas begin to build their own sleeping nests out of vegetation (and not use their mother's nest anymore). Young gorillas stay with their mother for 3-4 years. Adult male gorillas (silverbacks) will care for weaned orphaned young.
Gorillas are fully grown and able to reproduce at 10-12 years old. Females are pregnant for about 8 to 9.5 months and have about 3 babies in their lifetime. Newborn gorillas weigh only about 3-4 pounds (1.4 to 1.8 kg), about half the weight of a newborn human
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