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Gorillas live in groups called troops. Troops tend to be made of one adult male or silverback, multiple adult females and their offspring.[28][29][30] However, multi-male troops also exist.[29] Silverbacks are typically more than 12 years of age and named for the distinctive patch of silver hair on their back which comes with maturity. They also have large canine teeth which also come with maturity. Both males and females tend to emigrate from their natal groups. For mountain gorillas, females disperse from their natal troops more than males.[28][31] Mountain gorillas and western lowland gorillas also commonly transfer to second new groups.[28] Mature males tend to also leave their groups and establish their own troops by attracting emigrating females. However, male mountain gorillas sometimes stay in their natal troops and become subordinate to the silverback. If the silverback dies, these males may be able to become dominant or mate with the females. This behavior has not been observed in eastern lowland gorillas. In a single male group, when the silverback dies, the females and their offspring disperse and find a new troop.[31][32] Without a silverback to protect them, the infants will likely fall victim to infanticide.

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