Gorillas

Children's Literature - Kristin Harris

The "Amazing Animal Series" offers early readers a look at the animal kingdom. Each title focuses on a particular animal, and provides information about what they eat, their habitat, enemies, and family life. There are six titles in this series. Many consider gorillas to be dangerous, but they are actually shy herbivores that avoid humans. They are mammals that live in the wet forests of West and Central Africa. There are three different kinds of gorillas. They live in large groups with the oldest male as the leader. Like humans, gorillas have an opposable thumb for holding objects. Unlike humans, gorillas walk on all four limbs. This is called knuckle-walking. Gorillas eat up to 50 pounds of food each day. They mostly eat plants. It takes them up to 7 hours a day to eat enough to fuel their large bodies. Humans are the biggest threat to gorillas. They are hunted for food, sport and trophies. Their habitat is also shrinking at an alarming rate. This book is nicely illustrated with numerous photographs.