In the canopy of Uganda"s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a mountain gorilla leans into a meal of succulent green leaves. By day"s end, she"ll likely eat close to 40 pounds of foliage. Locals call this forest Bwindi, which means "impenetrable," but to this mountain gorilla, it"s simply home. Like us (and most primates), these gentle giants have opposable thumbs, which makes picking and eating an easy task. Also like us, mountain gorillas prefer hanging out on the ground. In fact, they"re known to stand upright and walk short distances with a remarkably human-like gait. We humans share 98 percent of our DNA with gorillas (both the eastern and western species), nearly as much as we share with chimps and bonobos. So yes, even though they have more body hair, we"re all hominids.
With leaves this tasty, who cares about a view?
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Happy Holi!
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Mid-Autumn Festival
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In the valley of the doll
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Reflections of the night sky
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Gdańsk on the banks of the Motława, Poland
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Put your flippers in the air…
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Inside the Oculus
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Punakaiki on South Island, New Zealand
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They’re grrrape!
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International Beaver Day
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Earth Day and National Park Week
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Mountain goats
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Longtailed widowbird at Rietvlei Nature Reserve, South Africa
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Arrr! Can you talk like a pirate?
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Brotherly cubs
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Porto Flavia, Sardinia, Italy
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National Bison Day
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Bohemian waxwings in Canada
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Notes from an underground lake
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Sutherland Falls in Fiordland National Park
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Lei Day
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Daylight saving time
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International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples
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There’s a dog in there somewhere
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1.1 billion opportunities for a better world
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Celebrating the International Day of Forests
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‘You should see the one that got away!’
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J.R.R. Tolkien Day
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Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
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A step toward freedom