Primate Tracking Safaris in Africa, Primate Tours in Africa
Africa also referred to as the Mysterious Dark Continent is a very stunning destination to explore, discover and encounter by all kinds of people from all over the Globe. The continent is beautiful with natural land forms, Lakes, Rivers, waterfalls, bird species, primates, culture as well as the hospitable people from all corners of the continent.
Primate Adventures should be on every traveler’s bucket list to experience while on vacation holiday in the various countries on the continent. There are numerous primate species in Africa and these include; chimpanzee, Mountain Gorillas, Eastern Lowland Gorillas, Western Lowland Gorillas, Cross River Gorillas, Baboons, Galago, Black and White colobus Monkeys, vervet monkeys, red tailed monkeys, olive baboons, pottos, bush babies etc.
The Primates of Africa
Chimpanzee
- Are a specie of the great Ape
- A closely related to the Bonobo
- Share about 95% Human DNA
- They stay in groups called communities
- They follow hierarchies with an Alpha Male leading followed by others
- They navigate using knuckle walking i.e using their legs and arms to walk
- Their communities have from 50 to 150 individuals.
- The Alpha male dictates everything done in the group
- They are good at using tools in their Day to Day Activities
- They are threatened by habitat loss, poaching and disease
- Commonly found in the rainforests of Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and DR Congo.
Mountain Gorilla
- It is the most prominent of all the African Apes
- It inhabits the thick tropical rain forests of Uganda, Rwanda and the DR Congo
- It can be tracked at Bwindi Forest & Mgahinga Uganda, Volcanoes National Park Rwanda as well as Virunga National park and Kauzi Biege National Park DR Congo.
- It is sub divided into different groups i.e the Mountain Gorilla, Eastern Lowland Gorilla, Western Lowland Gorilla, Cross River Lowland Gorilla.
- The Lowland Gorillas occupy the areas in the lowlands where as the Mountain Gorillas inhabit the Montane cold areas.
- They practice knuckle walking by using their arms and legs to navigate from one place to another throughout the forest.
- They share 98.8% DNA with Humans
- They live in groups of 5-10 members with a male dominant silverback leading the group, an adult female, a young Gorilla/ lack back which is also followed by a juvenile.
- The dominant silverback makes the rules to follow in the group and dictates on what to do and battle with other groups.
- The Mountain Gorilla is initially terrestrial and quadrupedal although climb trees to pick some fruit to add to their diet.
- They have longer legs than arms supporting its weight on the back of its curved fingers not the palms.
Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Family: Hominidae
Genus: Gorilla
Species: G. beringei
Subspecies: G. b. beringei
Eastern Lowland Gorilla
- It is the largest of all the four Gorilla subspecies and is also known as Grauer’s gorilla
- It has a short muzzle, vast hands, stocky body and is originally vegetative as it feeds solely on vegetables, fruits.
- They inhabit the lowland tropical rain forests in the Eastern DR Congo
- They are threatened by poaching, habitat loss as well as habitat loss
- They live in larger groups compared to their brothers the western Lowland Gorillas
- They live in hierarchies with a dominant male silverback always leading the group followed by adult females and then young gorillas-Black backs then the juveniles.
- The Silverback guards his family at all costs against all kinds of troubles i.e attacks from any other groups.
- They are threatened due to habitat loss, logging, mining and settlement.
Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Family: Hominidae
Genus: Gorilla
Species: G. beringei
Subspecies: G. b. graueri
Western Lowland Gorilla
- It is the most popular species of the genus Gorilla
- There about 95,000 individuals of this specie
- They are lighter colored compared to the Eastern Lowland Gorillas
- Their foreheads are brownish
- The average weight of the male western Lowland Gorilla is 146kgs.
- They live in groups varying from 2-20 individuals comprising of a dominant male, many females and infants
- They are vegetarian just as the rest of the other Gorilla Subspecies feeding on fiber, including leaves, stems, fruit, piths, flowers, bark, invertebrates, and soil.
- They are globally threatened with habitat loss, disease, settlement, poaching.
Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Family: Hominidae
Genus: Gorilla
Species: G. gorilla
Cross River Gorilla
- It is a subspecies of the Western Lowland Gorilla hence the most form of western and Northern Gorilla
- It inhabits the Mountains and forested Hills of the Cameroon and Nigeria border
- It is the most rare species o Gorilla to be spotted as only 250 mature Cross River Gorillas can be spotted by tourists.
- It comprises of candid palates, smaller cranial vaults and a shorter skull compared to the western Lowland Gorilla.
- It has shorter hands and feet compared to those of the western Lowland Gorilla.
- They prefer a denser forested habitat that is not encroached on by humans
- They are threatened by increased habitat loss, disease and poaching.
- They have specific nesting behaviors depending on the habitat, food, climate as well as vulnerability.
- They live in groups comprising of a male with 6-7 females and the juveniles.
- They are vegetarian and feed more on fruit, herbaceous vegetation, liana and tree bark.
- They live in smaller groups of 4-7 individuals.
Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Family: Hominidae
Genus: Gorilla
Species: G. gorilla
Subspecies: G. g. diehli