What do mountain gorillas eat? (gorillas diet & feeding habits)

What do mountain gorillas eat, Mountain gorillas start early morning, rest at midday and again feed from afternoon up to night hours. 85% of the diet of a mountain gorilla is made up of leaves, shoots, and stems. Gorillas can also eat larvae, snails, ants, root barks, and rooting wood. Mountain gorillas spend almost a quarter of their day eating mainly plants.

On a normal day, an adult male gorilla may consume more than 18kg(40lbs) of vegetables a day. Gorillas rarely drink water since they consume succulent vegetation that is comprised of almost half water as well as the morning dew. When they are thirsty, rather than drinking/sucking water, gorillas have been documented to use the hair on the back of their hands to absorb water.(What do mountain gorilla eat?)

Mountain gorillas use their impressive strength to break apart vegetation such as a whole banana tree to get to the interior tender pith. When feeding on vegetation, they may eat only the leaves, pith, stalk, or roots of a particular plant and they obtain these parts by using their tender lips and tough hands to break down the vegetation. The vegetation on which the mountain gorillas feed replenishes easily since the gorillas don’t destroy the vegetation but rather crop it in a manner that allows quick re-growth to take place.