Gorilla

Gorillas are primarily <a href="/facts/Herbivorous/me4YFdQA">herbivorous</a>, mostly ground-dwelling <a href="/facts/Great_ape/ILn1SYKB">great apes</a> that inhabit the tropical forests of <a href="/facts/Equatorial_Africa/6YCfjVaM">equatorial Africa</a>. The <a href="/facts/Genus/m8EFjSms">genus</a> Gorilla is divided into two species: the <a href="/facts/Eastern_gorilla/sBlSBL9L">eastern gorilla</a> and the <a href="/facts/Western_gorilla/hGvFxVaA">western gorilla</a>, and either four or five <a href="/facts/Subspecies/4L9jFacF">subspecies</a>. The <a href="/facts/DNA/nB89Iauz">DNA</a> of gorillas is highly similar to <a href="/facts/Human_evolutionary_genetics/96Xnpj7m">that of humans</a>, from 96 to 99% depending on what is included, and they are the next closest living relatives to <a href="/facts/Human/rlcTENsr">humans</a> after the <a href="/facts/Pan_(genus)/Hm6Aox8c">bonobos and chimpanzees</a>.
Gorillas are the largest <a href="/facts/Neontology/YK8uj7qU">living</a> <a href="/facts/Primate/Hl8RNE2X">primates</a>, reaching heights between 1.25 and 1.8 m (4 ft 1 in and 5 ft 11 in), weights between 100 and 270 kg (220 and 600 lb), and arm spans up to 2.6 m (8 ft 6 in), depending on species and sex. They tend to live in troops, with the leader being called a silverback. The eastern gorilla is distinguished from the western by darker fur colour and some other minor morphological differences. Gorillas tend to live 35–40 years in the wild.
Gorillas' natural habitats cover <a href="/facts/Tropical_and_subtropical_moist_broadleaf_forests/yR0TXBHb">tropical or subtropical forest</a> in <a href="/facts/Sub-Saharan_Africa/p4u389aa">Sub-Saharan Africa</a>. Although their range covers a small percentage of Sub-Saharan Africa, gorillas cover a wide range of elevations. The <a href="/facts/Mountain_gorilla/AkwbXc0w">mountain gorilla</a> inhabits the <a href="/facts/Albertine_Rift_montane_forests/KHyTgD5H">Albertine Rift</a> montane <a href="/facts/Cloud_forest/9MD4cgNG">cloud forests</a> of the <a href="/facts/Virunga_Mountains/aXxwXJeE">Virunga Volcanoes</a>, ranging in altitude from 2,200 to 4,300 m (7,200 to 14,100 ft). Lowland gorillas live in dense forests and lowland swamps and marshes as low as <a href="/facts/Sea_level/mDhuI7Xe">sea level</a>, with <a href="/facts/Western_lowland_gorilla/Tf8jAwHP">western lowland gorillas</a> living in Central West African countries and <a href="/facts/Eastern_lowland_gorilla/PlKA4gfK">eastern lowland gorillas</a> living in the <a href="/facts/Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo/E2KmHDdv">Democratic Republic of the Congo</a> near its border with <a href="/facts/Rwanda/UKR5UdKy">Rwanda</a>.
There are thought to be around 316,000 western gorillas in the wild, and 5,000 eastern gorillas. Both species are classified as <a href="/facts/Critically_Endangered/UI5nTQwF">Critically Endangered</a> by the IUCN; all subspecies are classified as Critically Endangered with the exception of the mountain gorilla, which is classified as <a href="/facts/Endangered/L7cIweSW">Endangered</a>. There are many threats to their survival, such as poaching, habitat destruction, and disease, which threaten the survival of the species. However, conservation efforts have been successful in some areas where they live.

Gorilla open-in-new

Gorilla