1. Gorillas
Alison Hammond is writing a series of articles about animals in danger for Nature Magazine. This week, she tells
us about mountain gorillas.What would you do you saw a mountain gorilla? Most people would probably be very afraid and run
away! That’s because gorillas a very frightening appearance. Firstly, gorillas are huge. They can grow up
to 2 metres tall and can weigh more than 200 kilograms .Secondly, gorillas can make a lot of noise. They can roar, bang their chests, and show their teeth. In fact, these aggressive displays are very rare and male gorillas only do it when they are protecting their families.
The truth is, gorillas are incredibly intelligent, gentle, and social animals that stay together in small family
groups. The leader is the largest male, called the silverback. That’s because of the beautiful silver fur on
its back. They spend almost all of their time on the forest floor, eating and sleeping. They are mainly
vegetarian, they eat some insects. Young gorillas often play together. They run around and climb
trees. At night, the animals make a nest sleep in. The lighter gorillas nest in trees. The heavier gorillas make
nests on the ground and the babies sleep with their mothers. Gorillas rarely attack humans. They only fight
something or someone attacks them or their young. In that situation, they will fight to the death.
Hunters looking for baby gorillas may have to kill a whole family to get what they want.
Sadly, there are fewer 650 mountain gorillas left in the wild, which means they are an endangered
species. These gorillas only live in the mountain jungles of Zaire, Rwanda, and Uganda. They are endangered
people hunt for food and for trophies.They are also threatened by war, and humans cut down
their forests for farmland, fuel, and housing. Life for these gentle giants peaceful.
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