Science 07 Jun 1963: Vol. Behaviours of Mountain Gorillas Mountain gorillas live in a social structure of groups from 5-30 individuals, the group’s compromise of silverbacks, females, juveniles, infants and subadults dominated by on the main silverback that commands all the group activities daily. See all Hide authors and affiliations. Article; Info & Metrics; eLetters; PDF; This is a PDF-only article. Although strong and powerful, gorillas are generally gentle,shy,retiring rather than ferocious and treacherous. Silverbacks are typically more aggressive than other group members since the troop's safety is their... Daily Activity Cycles. These comprise of one or more dominant silverback males. Behavior Social Structure. Mountain Gorilla Behavior Facts December 11, 2012 Mountain gorillas are tremendously social, and dwell in comparatively stable, united groups of about 12 animals. Alpha males and social behavior To stay warm in the mountains, mountain gorillas have longer hair than their eastern lowland cousins, the Grauer's gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri). 1081-1082 DOI: 10.1126/science.140.3571.1081 . Groups are led by a dominant male, the Silverback, named for the silvery gray hairs that grow when the male matures. The Mountain Gorilla: Ecology and Behavior. 140, Issue 3571, pp. Gorillas are non-territorial and live in groups called troops that generally consist of 1 to 4 adult... Social Behavior. They live in groups of 2-40 individuals, averaging about 11.