The Mountain gorilla noted to be encountered on gorilla safaris in Uganda have fur that is thicker and extended in length than that of other gorilla species which gives them the capacity to thrive in colder temperatures.

The Mountain gorillas are distinguished by the nose prints that are distinct to every individual. The male gorillas feature an average weight of 195 kg and stretch to 150 cm in height while standing upright and they at times weigh twice that of female gorillas. The female gorillas feature a mean weight of 100 kg and stretch to 130cm in height.

The Mountain gorilla sub species are noted to be the second largest Primate Species second to Eastern Low land gorillas.

The adult male gorillas feature more notable bony crests which appear on top and the at the back of their skulls presenting their heads with a more conical shape as seen on Uganda gorilla safaris.

The crests get hold of the strong muscles that are attached to the lower jaw. The mature females also feature crests but are less prominent.

The Mountain gorillas like other gorillas feature dark brown eyes that are framed by a black ring surrounding the iris.

It can be noted that adult male gorillas are referred to as Silver-backs as a result of a silver patch that develops on their back coming along with age.

The hair on the backs of the mountain gorillas is noted to be shorter unlike on other parts of the body while the long hair is on their arms.

The mountain gorillas are recorded to be terrestrial (land dwelling) and quadrupedal (walking on four legs) as can be encountered on Uganda gorilla safari.

It can also be noted that the mountain gorillas will climb the trees to extract fruits provided the branches can contain their weight and the mountain gorillas can run bipedally up to 6m.

Just like in most of the apes unlike humans, the mountain gorilla arms are noted to be longer in length than the legs and it applies knuckle-walking to support the weight on the backs of curved fingers other than the palms.

Mountain gorillas are noted to be diurnal and are active between 6am and 6pm and considerable hours of this period is spent foraging lots of food (vegetation mostly) that is needed to fill its gigantic bulk.

The mountain gorillas forage in the morning, rest around midday, forages again in the afternoon and then retire for overnight.

Every gorilla puts up a nest from the available vegetation and it does this every evening and cannot sleep in the previous nest even if it is at a very close distance.

However, the infants tend to share with their mothers. The mountain gorillas depart their nests at dawn 6am unless it very cold and overcast which forces to delay in their nest a bit. This is always heard on gorilla trekking in Uganda.