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Example:  page 3 "Gorillas are patient."

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Mrs. Downs

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Example: Ivan was a Western Lowland Gorilla.  I found that information on this web site. 

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Example: Ivan was a Western Lowland Gorilla.  I found that information on this web site. 

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Mrs. Downs

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The Zoo Atlanta family was saddened by the passing of Ivan the western lowland gorilla, 50 years old and a cherished member of our collection since 1994.

Every life at the Zoo is a story worth sharing, but his story was once told so widely and passionately that it ignited a national movement that touched two coasts. From the jungles of Africa to the shores of the Pacific Northwest to The Ford African Rain Forest at Zoo Atlanta, his life has been a symbol of the way animals shape our lives - and the power we have to shape theirs.

We'd love him even if he weren't one of our special senior gorillas, a member of an irreplaceable generation that now represents some of the world's oldest living members of his species. We'd love him even if he weren't one of our most famous residents. We'd love him even if he didn't still attract scores of well wishes, greetings, questions and Facebook posts from hundreds of friends and fans who have never forgotten him. We'd love him anyway, because we've had the honor and the privilege of sharing 18 years of an extraordinary life.
1960s: Infancy in Africa and a Trans-Atlantic Journey

Circa 1962: Ivan and a female infant are born in the wild in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In an era in which many zoos still acquire baby apes directly from the wild, the infants are captured for their market value.

1964: Ivan and his companion are brought to the U.S. and sold by wildlife traders to the owners of the B&I department store in Tacoma, Wash. The female dies soon after their arrival, and he spends his early years as a pet in a human household.

1967: Great apes make poor pets, and Ivan is no exception. Although only 5, he is already too large, strong and boisterous for life with a human family. As a solution, Ivan is moved to an indoor enclosure inside the B&I department store. He will not go outdoors again for nearly 30 years.

1970s-1994: The "Shopping Mall Gorilla"

1970s and 1980s: Ivan is the star attraction of the B&I store, and he becomes Tacoma's most famous non-human resident. Over the next two decades, he is visited by thousands of friends and fans, an adoring public who may not realize at this time that Ivan's lifestyle is utterly at odds with the physical, social and behavioral needs of his species. Meanwhile, across the U.S. in Atlanta, Ga., in 1988, another solitary gorilla, Zoo Atlanta's Willie B., enters a naturalistic habitat for the first time after more than 25 years in a small indoor enclosure.

1992: The B&I department store is facing bankruptcy, and finances aren't its owners' only woes. Riding on the cresting wave of a global push toward naturalistic settings for wild animals in captivity, Ivan's friends and fans now recognize that a 30-year-old male gorilla has specific social and spatial needs - needs that aren't being met within the confines of a glass-enclosed room.

1994: Ivan's solitary existence has by now provoked national outrage within the zoological and animal welfare communities, and in 1994, his owners donate him to Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo.

1994: Back East, Willie B.'s high-profile turn from longtime loner to successful silverback has lent national credibility to the gorilla program at Zoo Atlanta, which has by now seen a succession of births. With the approval of the Gorilla Species Survival Plan (SSP), the Woodland Park Zoo sends Ivan to Atlanta on permanent loan in October 1994.

1995-2011: Sun, space and ladies

1995: Ivan explores The Ford African Rain Forest at Zoo Atlanta in spring 1995 - the first time he has been outdoors in more than 27 years. Sunlight, trees, grass and fresh air are sensory enrichment he has not experienced since 1967.

1995: There's another new experience, too - girls! Ivan makes his debut with females Molly and Kuchi, and he later meets Shamba, Kashata and Kinyani. While he socializes well with his female companions, and is even observed mating with the flirtatious Kinyani, Ivan sires no offspring.

2010: Ivan's 16th anniversary in Atlanta is observed at Zoo Atlanta. He is photographed holding a sign reading, "Ivan 'Hearts' Atlanta," and it's obvious that Atlanta "hearts" him, too.

2011: Ivan's last "roommate," Kinyani, leaves Zoo Atlanta for the Columbus Zoo - a departure Ivan hardly seems to notice. After more than 16 years in Atlanta, it's apparent that while he has never overtly rejected the presence of other gorillas, his most lasting social relationships have always been with his keepers, with whom he has formed close personal bonds.

"Dear Zoo Atlanta ..."
Ivan's fans from the Pacific Northwest have never forgotten the "Shopping Mall Gorilla." The Zoo still receives many letters and greetings about him and for him, and he remains one of the most asked-about individuals ever to live at Zoo Atlanta. In 2012, "The One and Only Ivan" by Katherine Applegate was published to critical acclaim, including the 2013 Newbery Medal. In 2017, Atlanta's own Synchronicity theater performed a stage version of Ivan's story. His legacy continues in the hearts and minds of countless friends and fans, especially school children, who are now encouraged to learn more about western lowland gorillas and the conservation of their species because of the amazing life of this extraordinary individual.

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Every life at the Zoo is a story worth sharing, but his story was once told so widely and passionately that it ignited a national movement that touched two coasts.

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Example: Ivan did paint.  I found a picture. 

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Example: Ivan did paint.  I found a picture. 

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Mrs. Downs

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Example:  My favorite thing to learn about Gorillas is that they eat 40 pound of food a day. 

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Example:  My favorite thing to learn about Gorillas is that they eat 40 pound of food a day. 

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Mrs. Downs

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Gorillas are large apes that are native to Africa. They are typically divided into two groups. The mountain gorilla lives in the mountainous regions of central Africa, while the lowland gorilla lives in the flat, dense forests of central and western Africa. Though the two types are very similar, they have a few differences. For example, mountain gorillas tend to have longer hair, whereas lowland gorillas have short, soft hair, according to the Smithsonian.

Another difference is size. Lowland gorillas are 4 to 6 feet (1.2 to 1.8 meters) tall and weigh 150 to 400 lbs. (68 to 181 kilograms). Mountain gorillas are about the same height, though they tend to weigh a bit more. They are 4 to 6 feet tall and weigh 300 to 485 lbs. (135 to 220 kg). According to the World Wildlife Federation& (WWF), gorillas are the world's largest primate.

Habitat

Mountain gorillas live in Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on green, volcanic mountains. Lowland gorillas live in the forests of central and western Africa in Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A group of gorillas can have a territory of up to 16 square miles (41 square kilometers), according to National Geographic.

(Image credit: Michelle Klailova)

What do gorillas eat?

Gorillas are generally herbivores. They usually eat vegetation such as wild celery, shoots, roots, fruit, tree bark and tree pulp, but they have been known to eat small animals and insects. A male can eat up to 40 lbs. (18 kg) of vegetation each day.

Gorillas' exact diet depends on where they live. According to Sea World, about 67 percent of a lowland gorilla's diet is fruit; 17 percent comes from leaves, seeds and stems; and 3 percent comes from termites and caterpillars. The mountain gorilla eats a diet that is about 86 percent leaves, shoots and stems; 7 percent roots; 3 percent flowers; 2 percent fruit; and 2 percent snails, ants and grubs.

Habits

Gorillas live in groups. Groups of gorillas are called troops or bands. A band of gorillas can have as many as 50 members, though sometimes a band consists of as few as two members. Troops are led by a dominant male, called a silverback, which can often be identified by a gray strip of hair on his back.

Each time of day has its purpose for a troop of gorillas. Mornings and evenings are designated as feeding time. In the middle of the day, gorillas take a nap, play with other gorillas or groom one another. At night, the gorillas settle down in beds, made from leaves and twigs, to sleep.

(Image credit: Kwita Izina)

Offspring

Like humans, female gorillas are pregnant for nine months and usually give birth to only one infant at a time. Newborn gorillas weigh about 4 lbs. (1.8 kg). From the time they're about 4 months to 2 or 3 years old, young gorillas ride on their mothers' backs as a form of transportation.

At around 7 to 10 years, the young gorilla will become mature enough to have its own offspring. At this point, the gorilla will leave its mother's group to find a mate. Gorillas can live around 35 years in the wild and more than 50 years in zoos, according to the WWF.

Classification/taxonomy

The taxonomy of gorillas, according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System(ITIS), is:

Kingdom: Animalia Subkingdom: Bilateria Infrakingdom: Deuterostomia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Infraphylum: Gnathostomata Superclass: Tetrapoda Class: Mammalia Subclass: Theria Infraclass: Eutheria Order: Primates Suborder: Haplorrhini Infraorder: Simiiformes Superfamily: Hominoidea Family: Hominidae Subfamily: Homininae Genus & species: Gorilla gorilla, Gorilla beringei Subspecies:

Gorilla gorilla gorilla (Western lowland gorilla)

Gorilla gorilla diehli (Cross River gorilla)

Gorilla beringei graueri (Eastern lowland gorilla)

Gorilla beringei beringei (Mountain gorilla)

[ Gallery: Great Apes: All 4 Gorilla Subspecies]

(Image credit: Photodynamic Shutterstock)

Conservation status

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the Gorilla beringei species (mountain gorillas and Eastern lowland gorillas) as endangered on its Red List of Threatened Species. They are hunted and their habitat has been destroyed by mining and agriculture. IUCN estimates that there are about 680 mountain gorillas left in two isolated populations. While data are lacking to determine the population of Eastern lowland gorillas, the IUCN says it is believed that the total population has decreased dramatically.

According to the IUCN, the Gorilla gorilla species (Western lowland gorillas and Cross River gorillas) is critically endangered, with a population reduction of more than 80 percent over three generations (a generation is about 22 years). It is unknown exactly how many of these gorillas are left. The WWF estimates that there are about 100,000 lowland gorillas still in existence.

Other facts

Gorillas' arms are longer than their legs. This allows them to walk on all four limbs while still remaining somewhat upright.

These primates are very intelligent. They can use simple tools and learn sign language.

Gorilla beds are called nests. Young gorillas often make their nests in trees, and older gorillas make their nests on the ground.

Gorillas usually don't need to drink water from lakes or streams. They get all of the moisture they need from their food and morning dew.

Additional resources

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Alina Bradford - Live Science Contributor

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Gorillas are large apes that are native to Africa. They are typically divided into two groups. The mountain gorilla lives in the mountainous regions of central Africa, while the lowland gorilla lives in the flat, dense forests of central and western Africa. Though the two types are very similar, they have a few differences.

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Mrs. Downs