Wildlife of the World
Puzzle 14 · African Forests and Highlands · Page 29 in print
Virunga Mountain Gorilla
Mountain gorillas live in the Virunga mountains and the Bwindi-Sarambwe forests; census results released in 2019 put their combined population at about 1,060 animals.
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A mountain gorilla cradles a small infant.
Species reference for Virunga Mountain Gorilla. The photograph does not necessarily show the population or place named in the puzzle.
(c) Annika Lindqvist, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original recordImage changes
Resized and converted to JPEG for display; no subject alteration.
A mountain gorilla family rests together in vegetation.
Species reference for Virunga Mountain Gorilla. The photograph does not necessarily show the population or place named in the puzzle.
(c) Harsha Jayaramaiah, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original recordImage changes
Resized and converted to JPEG for display; no subject alteration.
The words
Altitude
The high elevation of the gorillas' mountains.
They reach meadows at 4,000 m.
Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund (opens a new tab) · Animal Diversity Web (opens a new tab)
Bamboo
A tall woody grass whose young shoots provide food.
Bamboo shoots are an important seasonal food for mountain gorillas in the Virunga region.
Bwindi
A mountain gorilla census in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Chest Beat
A silverback beats his chest with cupped hands to scare rivals away.
Fossey
The gorillas have been monitored since Dian Fossey began her work in 1967.
Gorilla
Mountain gorillas live in the Virunga volcanoes.
Karisimbi
Gorilla groups range from the slopes of Mount Karisimbi.
Karisoke
The long-studied mountain gorilla groups in the west of Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park are often called the Karisoke study population, after Dian Fossey's Karisoke Research Center. Mountain gorillas are a subspecies of the eastern gorilla.
Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund (opens a new tab) · San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (opens a new tab)
Rwanda
Mountain gorillas live in the Virungas of Rwanda.
Silverback
Mature males grow silver hair on their backs and are called silverbacks.
Thistles
A mountain gorilla in Volcanoes National Park eating thistle roots.
Uganda
Mountain gorillas live in Uganda's Bwindi.
Virunga
The Virunga volcanoes on the Rwanda-Congo-Uganda border.
Mountain gorillas live in the Virunga mountain range.
Volcano
Mountain gorillas live in the Virunga volcanoes.
Wild Celery
Wild celery is a top food for gorillas in the west of the park.
Sources
- Virunga Mountain Gorilla (source capture)Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund
- Virunga Mountain Gorilla (source capture)Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
- Mountain gorilla censusgorillafund.org
- Virunga Mountain Gorilla (source capture)San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance