Mountain Gorilla

The mountain gorilla (gorilla beringei beringei) currently lives in high-altitude, cold rainforests of central Africa. They have thick, dark fur for protection against low temperatures and to blend in with the forest. Gorillas live in groups, which helps them to find food, like vegetation, and offers protection from dangers. When they sleep, they construct a new nest. These nests help gorillas stay warm and free from parasites. In the future, their lush habitat will become dryer and will receive less rainfall. To camouflage in this new savanna environment, the gorillas will have lighter-colored, shorter fur. Larger ears help to dissipate heat. Future mountain gorillas would have a much more opportunistic diet since their previous food sources will no longer be in their habitat. They would dig burrows into the ground to cool down and would not be as large and heavy to make migrating to food sources easier.