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Male silverback mountain gorillas gain their distinctive silver tinge at about 13 years old, when they reach adulthood.——Photograph by Michael Nichols
Many conservation initiatives are meant to aid mountain gorillas, and it is believed that their numbers may be steady or slowly increasing. Still they continue to face major threats from habitat loss and poaching.
山地大猩猩（学名Gorilla beringei beringei）是东部大猩猩两个亚种之一。牠们分类两群：一群在中非维龙加山脉的四个国家公园，包括乌干达西南的姆加新加大猩猩国家公园、卢旺达西北 的维龙加火山公园、刚果民主共和国东部的维龙加国家公园及卡胡兹别加国家公园。另一群则在乌干达的布温迪森林。
由于失去栖息地、捕猎、人类疾病及战争，山地大猩猩在世界自然保护联盟濒危物种红色名录中仍是处于极危情况。2007年9月3日发生劳伦特·恩孔达及刚果军队之间的冲突，更令处于刚果处的山地大猩猩失去保护而面临威胁。
Mountain gorillas have longer hair and shorter arms than their lowland cousins. They also tend to be a bit larger than other gorillas.
Gorillas can climb trees, but are usually found on the ground in communities of up to 30 individuals. These troops are organized according to fascinating social structures. Troops are led by one dominant, older adult male, often called a silverback because of the swath of silver hair that adorns his otherwise dark fur. Troops also include several other young males, some females, and their offspring.
山地大猩猩比生活在低地的大猩猩近亲的毛发要长，体格也更大一些。他们能够爬树，但是通常是以30只左右为一个族群生活在一起的。这些族群有非常难以置信的社会结构。族群由一个有一撮银色毛发的雄性年长的雄性猩猩领导，当然，还包括其他几个年轻的雄性，雌性猩猩以及他们的后代。（小编注：雄性在达至性成熟时，背部会长出一束灰色或银色的毛发。）
The leader organizes troop activities like eating, nesting in leaves, and moving about the group"s 0.75-to-16-square-mile (2-to-40-square-kilometer) home range.
Those who challenge this alpha male are apt to be cowed by impressive shows of physical power. He may stand upright, throw things, make aggressive charges, and pound his huge chest while barking out powerful hoots or unleashing a frightening roar. Despite these displays and the animals" obvious physical power, gorillas are generally calm and nonaggressive unless they are disturbed.
部落首领带领这个家族进行诸如吃东西，筑巢等活动，他们一般在家附近0.75到16平方英里（2至40平方公里）的活动范围移动。
如果有谁敢来挑战首领，便可以尝到这位大哥大的厉害。他会直立，会丢东西，会做出非常具有攻击性的动作，甚至会猛捶自己胸部大声咆哮。尽管他拥有明显的攻击能力，但大猩猩的性格其实大多时候非常温顺，除非他们感到自己受到了威胁。
In the thick forests of central and west Africa, troops find plentiful food for their vegetarian diet. They eat roots, shoots, fruit, wild celery, and tree bark and pulp.
部落一般在中部和西部非洲的密林这些植被丰富的地方，找寻适合自己的食物：他们吃植物的根，竹笋，水果，野生芹菜，树皮和果肉。
Female gorillas give birth to one infant after a pregnancy of nearly nine months. Unlike their powerful parents, newborns are tiny—weighing four pounds (two kilograms)—and able only to cling to their mothers" fur. These infants ride on their mothers" backs from the age of four months through the first two or three years of their lives.
雌性大猩猩生育一次需要经过近9个月的孕期。（小编注：这一点显示出和人类惊人的相似性！）新生儿是十分脆弱的。他们不像自己强大的父母，体重只有4磅（两公斤），只能勉强抓住母亲的毛皮。猩猩宝宝从4个月开始，在自己母亲的背上度过生命中最初的两年或三年时间。
Young gorillas, from three to six years old, remind human observers of children. Much of their day is spent in play, climbing trees, chasing one another, and swinging from branches.
3-6岁的大猩猩幼仔是人类观察员的重点关注对象。他们一天中绝大多数世界都用于玩耍、爬树、互相追逐和在枝头荡来荡去。
In captivity, gorillas have displayed significant intelligence and have even learned simple human sign language.
人工饲养的时候大猩猩表现出了显著的聪明才智，甚至学会了简单的人类手语。 你知道吗？山地大猩猩也会有天生怕怕的东西哦~
山地大猩猩天生惧怕某些爬行动物，但原因不明。猩猩婴儿天生会追踪任何会行动的物体，但会逃避变色龙及毛虫。可可是一头懂手语的大猩猩，虽然是饲养的及从来未见过鳄鱼及短吻鳄，但却惧怕牠们。山地大猩猩是怕水的，只会在不会弄湿的情况下过河。黛安·弗西（Dian Fossey）发现山地大猩猩明显不喜欢下雨。
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