Gorilla
Gorilla gorilla · Animal
The western gorilla lives in the lowland rainforests of central Africa. Family groups are led by a powerful silverback male, and gorillas share most of their DNA with humans.
Key facts
- Scientific name
- Gorilla gorilla
- Kind
- Animal
- Conservation status
- Critically Endangered (IUCN CR)
- Habitat
- Lowland rainforest
- Range
- Central Africa
- Size
- Up to 1.8 m standing
- Weight
- Males up to about 200 kg
- Lifespan
- 35–40 years
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Activity
- Diurnal · family groups
- Population
- ≈ 360,000 western lowland gorillas (2018 estimate)
Diet
Eats leaves, stems, fruit and occasionally insects such as termites.
Behavior
A silverback protects and leads the group. Gorillas build fresh nests of leaves to sleep in every night.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Primates
- Family
- Hominidae
- Genus
- Gorilla
- Species
- G. gorilla
Conservation
Critically Endangered: numbers have fallen sharply because of hunting and disease.
Main threats
- Poaching for bushmeat
- Ebola virus
- Habitat loss