Title: Nutritional composition of the diet of the western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla): Interspecific variation in diet quality Research Highlights Fruit (40%) and herb (35%) accounted for 75% of mean monthly food intake in western gorillas (G. gorilla), with leaf (20%) and termite (5%) composing only a quarter of the annual diet. Western gorillas (WGs; G. gorilla) differed from mountain gorillas (MGs; G. beringei) in the nutrient composition of their staple diets, with WGs consuming less protein, more fiber, and nearly twice as much total nonstructural carbohydrate as MGs. Nutritional flexibility in Gorilla reflects ecological variability, not only in food availability but in the nutrient quality of plant foods between Central and East Africa. Read the full article here.
