Western gorilla

The western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) is a great ape found in Africa, one of two species of the hominine genus Gorilla. These large and strong apes live in parts of midwest Africa, far away from their relatives, the eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei). Western gorillas have lighter-colored fur compared to other gorillas.

Western gorillas are the second largest living primate, just a bit smaller than eastern gorillas. There are two types, or subspecies, of western gorillas. The western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) lives in most of West Africa, while the Cross River gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli) has a smaller home near the border of Cameroon and Nigeria. Sadly, both of these subspecies are listed as Critically Endangered.

Taxonomy

A scientist named Thomas Savage described the western gorilla in 1847. He linked it to an older name used for the chimpanzee. Most western gorillas are called western lowland gorillas, and there are about 276,000 of them. There is another smaller group called the Cross River gorilla, with only about 250 to 300 left.

Gorilla gorilla subspecies

Image	Subspecies	Population	Distribution
	Western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)	276,000	Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon
	Cross River gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli)	250 to 300	Cameroon-Nigeria border region

Description

Western gorillas are a type of great ape found in Africa. They have lighter-colored hair compared to eastern gorillas, with shades of black, dark grey, or dark brown-grey, and a brownish forehead. Males can be quite large, averaging about 1.67 meters tall and weighing between 145 and 191 kilograms, while females are smaller, weighing between 58 and 72 kilograms.

Behaviour and ecology

Western gorillas live in groups that can have from two to twenty members. Each group includes at least one male, several females, and their babies. The biggest male, called a silverback, leads the group. Young males usually leave the group when they grow up. Females join new groups before they have babies, which usually happens when they are eight to nine years old. They take care of their babies for the first three to four years. Because females only have a baby every six to eight years, western gorillas grow slowly, which makes them more at risk from harm.

Western gorillas eat lots of plants, like leaves, stems, fruit, and flowers, as well as some small animals like ants and termites. What they eat changes with the seasons and where they live. When fruit is plenty, they eat more of it and move around a lot. In dry seasons, they eat more leaves and bark. Scientists think some of the foods they eat might help keep them healthy. Sometimes, western gorillas have been seen throwing sticks and grass when they feel threatened by humans. In one test, a big male gorilla got angry when he saw himself in a mirror.

Conservation status

The World Conservation Union says the western gorilla is critically endangered, meaning it is in big danger of disappearing. The Ebola virus has hurt their numbers a lot. Other dangers include poaching, cutting down trees for timber, and civil wars in the places where they live. Western gorillas also have very few babies, which makes it hard for their numbers to grow.

In the 1980s, people thought there were about 100,000 western gorillas in Africa. But by 2008, that number had dropped to about 50,000 because of hunting and losing their homes. However, new discoveries in 2006 and 2007 found around 125,000 more gorillas in swamp forests near Lake Tele and Marantaceae in the Republic of the Congo. This could mean there are now between 150,000 and 200,000 western lowland gorillas. But they still face big threats like the Ebola virus, deforestation, and poaching.

There are only about 250 to 300 Cross River gorillas left in the wild. They live in a few places, and some can move between these areas. Both losing their homes and hunting for food have hurt their numbers. In 2007, a plan was made to help save these gorillas. The government of Cameroon created Takamanda National Park near the border with Nigeria to protect them. This park works together with Nigeria’s Cross River National Park to safe keep about 115 of these gorillas.

Individuals

Here are some well-known western gorillas:

• Bokito
• Colo
• Harambe
• Jambo
• Koko
• Pattycake
• Snowflake
• Timmy
• Willie B.