Gorillas are the world’s largest species of primates, inhabiting the subtropical and tropical rain-forests of Africa.
But what is the largest species of gorilla?
Gorillas are divided into two species: the Eastern gorilla and the Western gorilla.
The Eastern gorilla is further subdivided into the Eastern lowland gorilla and the Mountain gorilla, while the Western gorilla is divided into the Western lowland gorilla and the Cross river mountain gorilla.
Gorillas are primarily herbivorous animals, with most of their diet comprising fruits, bamboo shoots, stems, pith, bark, leaves, roots, and occasionally supplementing their diet with ants, insects, and termites. On some occasions, they have been seen eating soil.
Gorillas are afraid of caterpillars and chameleons for unknown reasons.
The infant gorillas, who are always excited by anything moving, will give way to chameleons and caterpillars.
Gorillas also don’t drink water because most of the foods they consume contain a lot of moisture.
They don’t mind rain and always use logs for crossing streams.
What is the largest species of gorilla?
Eastern lowland gorilla
This species of gorilla inhabits the subtropical and tropical rainforests of the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The population of the eastern lowland gorilla was about 17,000 in the 1990s, but there has been a decrease of over 50% in recent years, with its range decreasing from over 8000 square miles to about 5000 square miles today.
The main threats to the eastern lowland gorilla population are habitat loss, disease, poaching, and civil unrest in Congo. Although the Eastern lowland gorilla is the largest of the gorilla species, it is still on the IUCN Red List as an endangered species of gorillas.
The eastern lowland gorilla, also known as Grauer’s gorilla, is the largest living species of gorillas.
This species of gorilla is distinguished by its short muzzle, darker coloration, and stocky bodies. The silverback males can weigh up to 272 kilograms, with a height of about 1.76 meters, while females weigh less than the males and can stand up to 1.60 meters tall.
Western lowland gorilla
The western lowland gorilla is a subspecies of the Western gorilla, inhabiting the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Angola, Cameroon, and the Central African Republic.
This is the only subspecies of a gorilla that can survive in a zoo, and it is also the smallest species of the gorilla subspecies.
The only albino gorilla ever recorded was a western lowland gorilla named Snowflake from Equatorial Guinea.
Mountain gorilla
The mountain gorilla is a subspecies of the eastern lowland gorilla, inhabiting the tropical rainforests of Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This subspecies of mountain gorilla cannot survive in zoos.
According to the population of 2018, there are about 1004 mountain gorillas left in the wild.
This is the gorilla species you will see when gorilla trekking in Uganda & Rwanda.
Cross river gorilla
The Cross river gorilla was named a subspecies in 1904 by Paul Matschie.
This species of gorilla inhabits the forested hills of the Cameroon and Nigeria border region.
This is the most endangered species of gorilla, with about 250 mature individuals left in the wilderness.
