The baby gorilla, like infant human children are vulnerable and dependent on their mothers for survival. The males don’t actively care for the young but they do have an active role in socializing them with other youngsters in their troop and they also shield them from aggression within the group. At five months infants begin to break contact with the mother for very brief periods of time. By 30 months,  they only spend half the time with their mothers. They are considered juveniles from 3-6 years old. During this time they are weaned and sleep apart from the mother. After the offspring has been completely weaned, the female will ovulate again and can become pregnant.