Smithsonian National Zoological Park l Friends of the National Zoo



Great Ape & Primate thumbnails
young gorilla
Jessie Cohen, NZP photographer

A young western lowland gorilla chomping on vegetation in the outdoor gorilla yard.

Gorillas wake up just after sunrise to search for food, and then eat for several hours.

Midday, adults take a siesta and usually nap in a day nest while the young wrestle and play games. After their midday nap they forage again. Before dusk each gorilla makes its own nest, infants nest with their mothers.

All gorillas are primarily herbivorous, eating the leaves and stems of herbs, shrubs, and vines.

Adult male gorillas eat about 45 pounds (20 kg) of food per day while females eat about two thirds of that amount.

Meet the National Zoo's gorillas

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