The western gorilla, Gorilla gorilla, is a great ape of midwest Africa and one of the two species of the genus Gorilla, geographically separated from the eastern gorilla. It is the second largest living primate: adult males average about 1.67 metres tall and weigh roughly 145 to 191 kilograms, while females weigh 58 to 72 kilograms. Two subspecies are recognised, the western lowland gorilla, which makes up nearly all of the roughly 276,000 individuals, and the Cross River gorilla, of which only 250 to 300 remain near the border of Cameroon and Nigeria. Groups of two to twenty animals are led by a silverback male, and the high-fibre diet mixes leaves, stems, fruit, bark, invertebrates and soil. The species is listed as critically endangered because of poaching, the Ebola virus, logging and habitat loss.
Facts
Classification
Population Trend System (Realm) ThreatsAgriculture and Aquaculture 1 ThreatsBiological Resource Use 1 ThreatsInvasive and Other Problematic Species, Genes and Diseases 1 Relationship to People Living or Extinct Conservation Status Body Size Band Comparison
CITES Appendix Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Hominidae (Wikipedia)
In Biome
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 Western gorilla (Wikipedia)Lead, subspecies rangeQuote, Lead, subspecies range
limited to a smaller range in the north at the border of Cameroon and Nigeria
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Western gorilla (Wikipedia)Behaviour and ecology, GabonQuote, Behaviour and ecology, Gabon
Western gorillas inhabiting Gabon have been observed consuming the fruit, stems, and roots
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Western gorilla (Wikipedia)Lead, subspecies rangeQuote, Lead, subspecies range
limited to a smaller range in the north at the border of Cameroon and Nigeria
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Western gorilla (Wikipedia)Conservation status, Lake TeleQuote, Conservation status, Lake Tele
in the swamp forests of Lake Tele Community Reserve and in neighbouring Marantaceae (dryland) forests in the Republic of the Congo
Sources
1. Western gorilla (Wikipedia)
Conservation status, listing
The World Conservation Union lists the western gorilla as critically endangered
Behaviour and ecology, living groups
Western gorillas live in groups that vary in size from two to twenty individuals.
Behaviour and ecology, diet
including leaves, stems, ferns, fruit, piths, flowers, bark, invertebrates, and soil
Behaviour and ecology, longevity
Western gorillas are long-lived and may survive for as long as 40 years in the wild.
Conservation status, decline
have caused declines in population of more than 60% over the last 20 to 25 years
Conservation status, poaching
Poaching, commercial logging, and civil wars in the countries that compose the western gorillas
Conservation status, Ebola
The Ebola virus might be depleting western gorilla populations
Conservation status, habitat loss
habitat loss and degradation from agriculture, timber extraction, mining and climate change
Behaviour and ecology, poaching
make the western gorilla so vulnerable to poaching
Lead, subspecies range
limited to a smaller range in the north at the border of Cameroon and Nigeria
Behaviour and ecology, Gabon
Western gorillas inhabiting Gabon have been observed consuming the fruit, stems, and roots
Conservation status, Lake Tele
in the swamp forests of Lake Tele Community Reserve and in neighbouring Marantaceae (dryland) forests in the Republic of the Congo
Size
males weighing 145-191 kg (320-421 lb)
In Group: Primate Species, Lead, kind of animal
is a great ape found in Africa
Child Taxon Of: Gorilla, Lead, genus
one of two species of the hominine genus Gorilla
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 ZoologyConservation Status, CITES
CITES Appendix I
Geographic Range
Western or lowland gorillas inhabit the forests of equatorial Africa
In Biome: Tropical Rainforest, 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 Hominidae (Wikipedia)
Child Taxon Of: Hominidae, Phylogeny, classification listQuote, Child Taxon Of: Hominidae, Phylogeny, classification list
includes eight extant species in four genera: Pongo (the Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutan); Gorilla (the eastern and western gorilla); Pan (the chimpanzee and the bonobo); and Homo, of which only modern humans (Homo sapiens) remain.
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