Western Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)Mammals, PrimatesThe gorilla is the largest living primate. A gorilla must spend most of its day eating plants to maintain its large size. Despite its massive size and ferocious reputation, the gorilla is actually a peaceful and social animal. Gorillas and humans are close relatives, and share many things in common. They are very intelligent, have emotions and personalities, and live in family groups. A troop of up to 20 gorillas is led and defended by a dominant male called a silverback. A male gorilla has the strength of up to eight men. Chest-beating is one way a gorilla shows that it’s excited. Gorillas and humans have the same number of hairs on their bodies. The Cincinnati Zoo is dedicated to gorilla conservation, both in the wild and in zoos. Click here to learn more about what the Cincinnati Zoo is doing for gorilla conservation. After two years of construction, the new indoor gorilla habitat is open to the public. The floor-to-ceiling viewing glass will help the Zoo continue to inspire gorilla conservation by getting visitors #CloseEnoughToCare as they watch and engage with the Zoo’s gorillas. Keep in mind, the gorillas are still learning the ins and outs of their new dynamic complex. They may or may not be visible at all times. JomoBirthdate: 07/18/1991 Jomo is a silverback gorilla and father to Mona and Elle. He is a super dad and also is the largest gorilla; twice as big as the adult females. The females in his group look to him for protection and leadership. Elle Birthdate: 8/29/2015 Elle is the youngest gorilla here at the Cincinnati Zoo. She is the 50th gorilla baby born here! Elle is full of energy and you can often find her playing with Mondika and Gladys or pestering her dad, Jomo. Elle is a guest favorite and a lot of fun to observe as she is always playing and interacting with enrichment. She is one brave, happy gorilla! She will also be seen from time to time twirling around, which is one way that she plays. There is never a dull moment when Elle is around! She enjoys sweet food items and makes loud singing noises when she eats food she likes. Mondika Birthdate: 8/04/2014 Parents are Asha and Jomo. Mondika (Pronounced Mondeeka) is the name of an area in the Republic of Congo that habituates western lowland gorillas for up close observation, research and eco tourism. Mondika is very curious and sociable. She can be found playing with Elle and Gladys or sitting near her dad, Jomo. Jomo and Mona share a close bond and she can often get away with anything in the group as dad will come to defend her. Mona is also very curious and enjoys interacting with enrichment or giving Elle a ride on her back. One of her favorite foods is grapes. Gladys Birthdate: 1/29/2013 Raised by surrogate humans and later introduced to surrogate gorilla moms M’Linzi and Mara. Gladys is a very well adjusted, confident and curious gorilla. She is extremely intelligent. She masters any enrichment item or puzzle feeder and challenges her keepers to come up with new and stimulating enrichment. She is also very playful, and you can find her with the kids or giving Elle a ride on her back. She is the largest of the three kids and is spunky and full of energy being 7 years old. One of Gladys’ favorite foods is banana. M'LinziBirthdate: 12/07/1982 Mother of Mara and surrogate mother to Gladys. She is the only adult female in “Jomo’s Group” and is a surrogate mother to Gladys. You can find M’linzi often hanging out by herself or sometimes near the kids. She loves fabric items and you can sometimes find her with fabric draped around her shoulders or head. M’Linzi would never turn down a meal and one of her favorite food items is kale in which she will “hum” while eating. Singing or vocalizing like this is a way for gorillas to show contentment with their meal. M’Linzi has a very pronounced brow ridge, which makes her look “grumpy”. But she isn’t. She is a very happy and playful gorilla! MshindiBirthdate: 10/17/1987 As part of a multi-zoo collaborative move recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP), male gorilla Mshindi [ma-shin-dee] was relocated from the Louisville Zoo to Cincinnati and is starting to make himself at home in the outdoor habitat. Mshindi is the silverback to Tulivu and Bandia. He is a good looking male and our stinkiest male as well! Males have extra scent glands in their armpits that secrete sweat and various scents. These scents help communicate to the troop if a male is excited or if a threat is near. Mshindi loves to strike a pose on habitat and will often climb high on the trees and rocks. He can also be extremely playful and will start playing as soon as he wakes up in the morning. The gorillas are given a supplemental biscuit each day as a source of fiber and protein, Mshindi really enjoys soaking his biscuits in water before he eats them. BandiaBirthdate: 09/13/1997 Bandia shows a lot of interest in Mshindi and is usually the female that is seen closest to him. They will also play together from time to time which is a way to strengthen their bond. Bandia is a very smart and headstrong girl. She enjoys her food, but the thing she cares most about is Mshindi. She utilizes the entirety of both habitats. Although, Bandia is a newer resident at Cincinnati she has Cincinnati bloodlines. Her Great Grandparents are King Tut and Penelope, two of our founder gorillas. TulivuBirthdate: 05/02/2004 Tulivu is our youngest adult female. She has a strong bond with Bandia and they will often sit together. Tulivu loves to drape fabric around her back and will often use fabric for a nesting material. Gorillas make nests each night to sleep in and will use different substrates like branches and leaves. Tulivu loves her food and has a sweet tooth just like humans. Bananas, grapes and other fruits are her favorites. One of her favorite places to hang out is on the rocks towards the front right side of the outdoor habitat. This gives her a great vantage point to people watch and welcome her guests. NdumeBirthdate: 10/10/1981 Ndume is Chewie and Mara’s silverback. He is our oldest silverback. He is a very tall male with long arms and legs. He enjoys training with his keepers for grapes. He is a fast learner and continues to learn different behaviors like positioning himself long enough for a cardiac ultrasound. Cardiac ultrasounds are very important in gorillas especially males as they are prone to heart disease. He is currently getting comfortable with the outdoor habitat, where he has accessed each morning and overnight. Ndume really enjoys fabrics and making large nests to sleep on. One of his favorite foods is pineapple. MaraBirthdate: 08/13/1995 Daughter of M’Linzi and second mom to Gladys. She sits on the tree a lot and often likes to be alone. She has puffy gray sideburns, is smaller than other females with a lanky thin body. Mara, a lot like her sister Chewie, is 25, strong-willed and a very smart gorilla. Mara is our smallest adult female. Gorillas range in size just like people do. If you can’t tell her apart from her size, then look for the gray-colored sideburns. She loves to train with her keepers for health checkups. She is a pickier eater than most of our gorillas. She prefers sweeter items like fruit but does not like grapefruit and could do without apple. She can be seen climbing high up in the habitats or down on the ground relaxing. ChewieBirthdate: 09/17/1995 Chewie is an active gorilla who travels around the yard a lot and climbs into moat. She has lots of rings and wrinkles around her eyes and nose and lots of black hair. She is one of our more robust females and a very pretty gorilla. Chewie and Mara are tightly bonded sisters and are often seen near each other. Chewie has an affinity towards Ndume and will choose to be closer to him from time to time. Chewie is very head strong and savvy gorilla. She is very food motivated and enjoys training and manipulating enrichment devices. Grapes are one of her favorite food items. VideoRisk Status Species at Risk (IUCN—Critically endangered)