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Eastern lowland gorillas have more diverse diets, which vary seasonally. Leaves and pith are commonly eaten, but fruits can make up as much as 25% of their diets. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorilla#Food_and_foraging


The mountain gorilla is primarily a herbivore; the majority of its diet is composed of the leaves, shoots and stems (85.8%) of 142 plant species. It also feeds on bark (6.9%), roots (3.3%), flowers (2.3%), and fruit (1.7%) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_gorilla#Habitat_and_ecology

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    $\begingroup$ Have you checked what is the availability of fruits in the two environments? My first guess is that in the mountain environment you find fewer fruits due to altitude and climate. $\endgroup$
    – alec_djinn
    Commented Aug 10, 2017 at 8:14

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Mountain plants have to be hardy, especially if they grow above the frost line. They are more likely to be tough vegetation (leaves, shoots, and stems) as mentioned in the mountain gorilla diet.

The lowlands have much more plant diversity (and generally better food). Sweet fruits have better calories for the effort required to forage and digest them, so you would expect the lowland gorillas to prefer fruit.

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