The Cross River gorilla is a critically endangered subspecies of the western gorilla and the rarest great ape in the world, with fewer than 250 mature individuals estimated in 2014. It lives only in forested hills and mountains on the Nigeria and Cameroon border at the headwaters of the Cross River, in about eleven localities spread across a range of roughly 12,000 square kilometres, and it is separated by around 300 kilometres from the nearest western lowland gorillas. It has a smaller palate, cranial vault and skull than the western lowland gorilla. Groups usually hold one male and six to seven females with their young, and the diet is mostly fruit, with herbs, liana and bark taken in lean months. Cross River gorillas have been seen throwing grass and sticks at humans. Hunting for bushmeat, loss of forest and fragmentation of the population are the main threats.
Facts
Classification
Population Trend System (Realm) ThreatsAgriculture and Aquaculture 1 ThreatsBiological Resource Use 1 Relationship to People Living or Extinct Conservation Status Body Size Band Activity Pattern Comparison
CITES Appendix Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Hominidae (Wikipedia)
In Biome
Source Cross River gorilla (Wikipedia)
In Ecosystem
Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Gorilla gorilla (Animal Diversity Web)
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Cross River gorilla (Wikipedia)Lead, where it livesQuote, Lead, where it lives
restricted to the forested hills and mountains of the Cameroon-Nigeria border region
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Cross River gorilla (Wikipedia)Lead, where it livesQuote, Lead, where it lives
restricted to the forested hills and mountains of the Cameroon-Nigeria border region
Sources
1. Cross River gorilla (Wikipedia)
Lead
is a critically endangered subspecies of the western gorilla
Behavior
Observations of the gorilla indicate that it seems to prefer fruit
Behavior, diet
diet consists largely of fruit, herbaceous vegetation, liana, and tree bark
Geographical distribution
restricted to the forested hills and mountains of the Cameroon-Nigeria border region
Lead, living or extinct
fewer than 250 mature Cross River gorillas remain
Fragmented population
The recent decrease in the Cross River population
Hunting
A more recent phenomenon of the commercialization of bushmeat hunting has caused a large impact on the population.
Fragmented population, threats
the expansion of farmland, human occupation
Hunting, relationship to people
commercialization of bushmeat hunting
Description
Average adult male weight: 140-200 kg (310-440 lb).
Lead, where it lives
restricted to the forested hills and mountains of the Cameroon-Nigeria border region
View the Source2. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Gorilla gorilla (Animal Diversity Web)
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyAccount, Conservation status, CITES
Appendix I
Account of the western gorilla, key behaviors
diurnal
In Ecosystem: Forest, Habitat
Africa's tropical secondary forests, where the open canopy allows much light to reach the forest floor, provide the best habitat for western gorillas.
View the Source 3. Human Ageing Genomic Resources, University of Liverpool: AnAge entry for Gorilla gorilla
Human Ageing Genomic Resources, University of LiverpoolAnAge entry for Gorilla gorilla, maximum longevityQuote, AnAge entry for Gorilla gorilla, maximum longevity
60.1 years (captivity)
Hominidae (Wikipedia)
Child Taxon Of: Hominidae, Lead, family HominidaeQuote, Child Taxon Of: Hominidae, Lead, family Hominidae
Gorilla (the eastern and western gorilla)
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