Gorillas

Gorillas are the biggest of the worlds primates and live in the forests in select parts of Africa. The gorilla population is sadly much lower than it used to be meaning that gorillas are an endangered species.
Gorillas are herbivores, eating vegetation, fruits, shoots, berries and leaves. An adult male gorilla is able to consume up to 27 kg of food everyday.
Gorillas are thought to be the most closely related to chimps and humans. It is said that the DNA of gorillas is 98-99% identical to human DNA!!
The gorilla is a very sociable animal inhabiting the African wilderness if groups from around 5 to 30 gorillas. The gorilla spend most of their time eating, sleeping and grooming the other gorillas. Gorillas move about by walking on their knuckles which helps to support the gorillas weight
The gorilla is considered to be a highly intelligent animal on a similar level with humans and dolphins. The real extent of the gorillas intelligence is unknown, however one gorilla bred in captivity was successfully trained in human sign language.
The senses of a gorilla are very similar to the senses of the human and include hearing, taste, touch, smell and sight, although the sight of the gorilla is not quite as acute as the sight of the human but the gorilla is thought to be able to see in colour vision.
The gorilla spends the night sleeping in a nest which the gorilla makes out of leaves and other plant materials. The nest of the gorilla is shaped like a bowl and is where the mother gorilla will sleep with the baby gorillas.
Despite what many people think, the gorilla is not an aggressive animal as the gorilla is known to be shy and peaceful in nature. The gorilla will generally only display aggressive behaviour towards another animal if the gorilla feels under threat but the gorilla will only tend to make lots of noise rather than attacking an unwanted intruder.

1. Guanacos like to socialise

Guanacos are garrulous folk, living in herds usually composed of up to ten females, their young, and one dominant male. Baby guanacos are adorably known as chulengos, and the little four-legged ones can walk competently only five minutes after birth. Female guanacos have a lengthy eleven-and-a-half month gestation period, after which a single chulengo is born between the South American summer months of December and March. The apron strings are cut abruptly for male chulengos, who are chased away from the herd after one year spent with their mother. Following a brief period of bachelorhood, however, they eventually form their own herds. It is a tough world out there for a chulengo, and only 30% of the babies live to adulthood, due to various factors including predation, disease, and harsh weather conditions.

2. They have some famous relations

Guanacos are related to camels (though they lack the distinctive hump!), as well as to vicu?as, alpacas, and llamas. These last two are domesticated South American camelids, and the guanaco is believed to be the ancestor of the llama. Owing to their calm, docile nature, it was easy for humans to tame and train the wild guanacos, who eventually became the llamas we know and love today.

3. They laugh in the face of danger

Guanacos have one natural predator: the puma. When threatened, they alert the rest of the herd to the imminent danger with a high-pitched bleating sound, which some say sounds similar to a short, sharp laugh. Although habitually mild-mannered, if forced into a corner, guanacos can also spit up to a distance of six feet. Though once widely hunted for their soft, thick, woolly coat, they are now protected against hunting, although sadly it continues illegally nevertheless. In the past, the Tehuelches, a nomadic, pre-colonial tribe in the Patagonia area, depended on guanaco meat and wool. There used to be a vast number of huge guanaco herds thundering across the Patagonian plains, but now, due to hunting and habitat destruction, a mere 5% of previous populations remain. When the Europeans arrived on the continent, there is thought to have been up to 50 million resident guanacos. The recent decline in numbers is thought to be down to the introduction of domestic sheep, who monopolise the best grazing lands, and become the guanaco?s competition for food.

4. They are well-adapted to their environment

Guanacos have developed some smart adaptations to make their lives just that little bit easier. Their necks have thicker skin for protection against predators, whilst their soft and sensitive lips help them to rootle amongst thorny undergrowth and identify tasty tidbits. They also have a nifty, split upper lip which helps them guide food into their mouths. Like camels, guanacos can retain and store moisture from plants, enabling them to survive even harsh and dry climates. What?s more, guanacos are ruminants with a three chamber stomach. The food goes through the first stomach, only to be regurgitated and swallowed again, meaning that they can extract all the essential nutrients possible out of whatever they are munching. Two padded toes on each foot help the guanaco to navigate gravelly paths and slopes, and thick, long eyelashes not only keep a guanaco gorgeous, but also protect their eyes from the dust kicked up by fellow guanacos and swept through the air by the high winds of the Patagonian steppe.

5. They have big hearts

Guanacos have been found living up to 4,000 metres above sea level. In order to survive at such a low oxygen level, guanaco blood has four times the number of red blood cells that we humans have! One teaspoon contains roughly 68 million red blood cells. Guanaco?s are big-hearted in more than just their gentle temperament too - their hearts are 15% larger than those of the average mammal their size.