Little
Ages 3–5
Very thick lines and a few big areas. Easy for small hands.
Gorilla Coloring Pages
Gorillas are gentle-looking giants with a big round head, a broad chest, long arms and dark fur, and a grown-up male even has silvery hair across his back. Pick the level that suits your child: the little page, for ages 3 to 5, has very thick outlines, a few big shapes and no background; the kids page, for ages 6 to 8, uses thick lines; and the detailed page, for ages 9 to 12, has finer lines and more areas to color. Print one now, or color it on screen first and try mixing blacks, greys and browns.
Choose a level and print
The same drawing in three levels. Print it from the page or download a PDF.
Kids
Ages 6–8
Thick lines and a simple background to color.
Detailed
Ages 9–12
Finer lines, more areas and patterns for older children.
Color online
Choose a color, then tap an area of the picture to fill it. When you are happy, save it as an image or print it.
Coloring online needs JavaScript. You can still print the pages above.
Real colors to try
These are the natural colors of this animal. Use them, or pick your own.
- charcoal black
- dark grey
- silver grey
- warm brown
- forest green
- leaf green
Gorilla facts for kids
- Gorillas are apes, not monkeys, and they have no tail.
- Gorillas live in the forests of Africa and eat mostly leaves, stems and fruit.
- A grown-up male gorilla has silvery hair on his back, so he is called a silverback. He leads his family group, which is called a troop.
- Gorillas walk on all fours, leaning on the knuckles of their hands.
- Every night a gorilla builds a fresh nest of leaves and branches to sleep in.
How to use this coloring page
- Little level: big crayons or chunky markers suit the very thick outlines. Try black first, then a grey for the face and chest.
- Kids level: to make the fur look soft instead of flat, use two or three dark shades, such as charcoal, brown and grey.
- Detailed level: the finer lines and extra areas are made for colored pencils. Layer dark grey over black for thick fur and keep a light grey for a silverback's back.
- In class, give each child a page and talk first about how a gorilla differs from a monkey, then let everyone pick their own fur colors.
- Print at 100% on plain paper. Dark fur takes a lot of color, so slightly thicker paper holds up better under markers or paint.
Pip's idea
Color the fur like a night sky, in deep blue, purple and black, and leave the silverback's back shining in silver or white.
Questions and answers
- Is a gorilla a monkey or an ape?
- A gorilla is an ape, not a monkey. Apes like gorillas have no tail and have strong arms, while most monkeys do have a tail. It is a nice thing to talk about while your child colors.
- What colors do I need for a gorilla?
- Real gorilla fur is black, dark grey or brown, and a grown-up male has silvery grey on his back. The face and hands have no fur and are dark skin, so a very dark grey or brown works well there too.
- Which gorilla page can a four-year-old start with?
- The little level, made for ages 3 to 5. It has very thick outlines, a few big shapes and no background, which suits the big, simple body of a gorilla.
