What aspect of the Western Gorilla's life cycle contributes significantly to the difficulty of population recovery following mass mortality events?

Answer

Females typically space births by four to six years due to the extended period of infant dependency

The reproductive strategy of the Western Gorilla is inherently slow, which severely limits its capacity to bounce back from major population reductions, such as those caused by disease outbreaks. This slowness is rooted in the long period of dependency an infant maintains on its mother; newborns cling to their mothers for transport and nursing for several years. Consequently, a female gorilla does not typically have the opportunity to conceive again until her current offspring is significantly older, resulting in birth intervals that are spaced out by four to six years. This slow reproductive turnover means that population growth is intrinsically sluggish.

What aspect of the Western Gorilla's life cycle contributes significantly to the difficulty of population recovery following mass mortality events?

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