Differences between Chimpanzees and Mountain Gorillas : Both chimpanzees and the mountain gorillas are primate species which are easily found in the East African countries and these countries include; Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. More so, there are four national parks that tourists who are interested in engaging in activities like chimpanzee trekking and gorilla trekking can visit and these are; Virunga National park, which is located in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Volcanoes national park, which is in Rwanda, Mgahinga Gorilla national park, and Bwindi Impenetrable national park in Uganda.
However, it is well known that the chimpanzees are big in number compared to the mountain gorillas but they are both close and friendly to humans and they also share about 90% of their DNA with humans. The main difference between the mountain gorillas and the chimpanzees is the tribe where mountain gorillas are known to belong to the Gorillini tribe and genus while the chimpanzees belong to Hominini tribe and the genus pan. These primate species both live in their natural habitats such as tropical rain forests, and within the savanna grasslands but this does not mean that they do not have differences, and there are a number of differences between gorillas and chimpanzees and they include the following;
Strength.
These Primate species are different in a way that Mountain gorillas are known to be too strong compared to Chimpanzees. Mountain gorillas are usually seen defending themselves suing their strength in case of any trouble while the chimpanzees are weak to involve themselves in a fight however, they always use their brains to come up with ways of defending themselves and they are known to be faster walkers compared to the gorillas because they use their four limbs to always create a way for themselves through places.
Sociality.
During the gorilla trekking and chimpanzee trekking activities tourists are always given enough time to associate with these species and during this period of time, they observe how both gorillas and chimpanzees are friendly and social to humans however, it is noticed that chimpanzees are more social compared to the gorillas because they seem more welcoming and pay more attention while in the presence of humans unlike the mountain gorillas that usually continue with whatever they be doing.
Physical apperarance.
When it comes to the physical appearance of both gorillas and chimpanzees, it is well observed that the Mountain Gorillas are far bigger than the chimpanzees. These Mountain gorillas have bigger arms, broad chests, strong muscles compared to those of the chimpanzees. In addition, when keeps up with the keen observation, you get a chance to tell the differences the faces of these species whereby the chimpanzee’s face is pink while that one of the mountain gorillas is black. More so, mountain gorillas have small ears while the chimpanzees have big ears that are seen protruding out of their heads.
Natural Habitats.
Both like in the tropical rainforests and savannah grasslands as their natural habitats however, mountain gorillas are found living in the higher altitudes of the forests while the chimpanzees live in the lower altitudes of the forest. Therefore, during the trekking activities, it takes a longer period for the tourists to trek the gorillas while it is easy and takes short time to locate chimpanzees. Chimpanzees are commonly seen climbing up the trees while the gorillas are commonly found on the ground.
Movements.
Chimpanzees move faster than the mountain Gorillas because these gorillas are bigger in size, which does not make them flexible to run as fast as the chimpanzees. However, both the chimpanzees and the mountain gorillas all move on their four limbs.
Food.
Both mountain gorillas and the chimpanzees are known to be herbivorous animals which mainly feed on fruits, leaves and roots however, chimpanzees are special in a way that they are both herbivorous and Omnivorous because they sometimes feed on small animals.
Leadership.
In terms of Leadership, Chimpanzees live in groups which have many males and any of these male species can take over the leadership at any time when need arises whereas the Mountain Gorilla groups/ families always choose one dominant silverback who leads the females and their off springs and their male off springs are always driven out as soon as they mature.
Off springs.
Both the chimpanzees and the mountain gorillas are like humans whereby they all have one offspring at a time for example the get pregnant for only 8 months whereas the mountain gorillas be pregnant for 8.5 months. However, it is important to note that mountain gorillas have one child in 2 years while the female chimpanzees only give birth to another child after 5 years.
Intelligence skills.
According to both the chimpanzees and the mountain gorillas intelligence, the chimpanzees are considered as the most intelligent species despite the fact that they are small in size and less strong, but these species always use their brains to imply in different tricks most especially during their times of trouble hence ranking them as the most intelligent.
Social Hierarchy.
The social Hierarchy of the chimpanzees and the mountain gorillas id different in a way that among the mountain gorillas, the head of the gorilla group is the adult silver back is the one who is in charge of the whole group and has all the rights over the adult females in the family, followed by the males while the chimpanzees live happily as an extended family to the extent that any adult female on heat has a chance to mate with any adult male. More so, in their family, the alpha male has much more power than the alpha female who has more compared to other female chimpanzees in the group.
