Gorillas in the Wild, Gorillas in Captivity Answer Sheet

Main Idea	Supporting Details
Paragraph 1: Most gorillas live in families led by the strongest male.	Typical families include one strong male, one immature male, three or four adult females, and three to six youngsters. Some groups are larger or smaller. Some males live alone or form bachelor groups.
Paragraph 2: Gorillas spend most of their time sleeping, resting, or eating.	They sleep 13 hours each night and rest for several hours at midday. They build new nests each night. They eat mostly plants and insects.
Paragraph 3: There are three types of gorillas: Western Lowland, Eastern Lowland, and Mountain.	The names refer to where they live in Africa. Mountain gorillas are the most endangered. Most zoo gorillas are Western Lowland gorillas.
Paragraph 4: Gorillas' only natural enemies are humans.	They are still hunted for meat and trophies. They sometimes are caught in traps set for other animals. Sometimes when infant gorillas are caught for zoos, their mothers and other family members are killed as they try to defend the babies. Human population growth threatens the homeland of many free-living gorillas.

Gorillas in Captivity

Students' responses to this part of the worksheet will vary, but should show an understanding of the personal preferences of the gorillas with whom they have chosen to visit.