What Do Gorillas Do All Day?

This is the daily routine of the mountain gorillas in the Virunga Volcanoes: They forage in early morning, they rest in late morning and around midday, in the afternoon they forage again before resting at night. They leave their sleeping sites when the sun rises at around 6 am, except when it is cold and overcast; then they often stay longer in their nests. Mountain gorillas spend about half of the day eating. Rest periods take up approximately a third of the day. They spend about 6.5% of their time moving from one location to another and they are engaged in social behaviour for 3.6% of their time. Social contacts occur mainly during rest periods. Therefore the midday rest period is very important for the social life of the group, as this is the time when the animals interact with their companions and when the young gorillas can play without being interrupted.

Mountain gorillas resting at midday Photo: Jörg Hess