Nutritional aspects of western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) diet during seasons of fruit scarcity at Bai Hokou, Central African Republic

Traditionally, gorillas were classified as folivores, yet 15 years of data on western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) show their diet to co ntain large quantities of foliage and fruit, and to vary both seasonally an d annually. The consumption of fruit by gorillas at Bai Hokou, Central Afri can Republic, is correlated with rainfall and ripe fruit availability (Remi s, 1997a). We investigated the nutritional and chemical content of gorilla foods consumed at Bai Hokou during two seasons of fruit scarcity as measure d by phenological observations and compared our findings with the nutrient content of gorilla foods at other African sites. We conclude that during le an times, Bai Hokou gorillas consumed fruits with higher levels of fiber an d secondary compounds than those of other populations of western lowland or mountain gorillas. Conversely, leaves consumed by Bai Hokou gorillas were relatively low in fiber and tannins. Bai Hokou gorillas appeared to meet th eir nutritional needs by eating a combination of fruit and foliage. They at e fruits comparatively high in secondary compounds and fiber when necessary . While gorillas are selective feeders, wherever and whenever preferred foo ds a re scarce, their large body size and digestive anatomy enable them to consume and process a broader repertoire of foods than smaller bodied-apes.