The Western Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) is the most populous species of the genus Gorilla.

Taxonomy

Nearly all of the individuals of this taxon belong to the Western Lowland Gorilla subspecies (G. g. gorilla) whose population is approximately 350,000 individuals (as per survey results Aug 5, 2008). There are fewer than 300 of the only other Western Gorilla subspecies, the Cross River Gorilla (G. g. diehli).^[1]

Appearance

The Western Gorilla is lighter in color than its Eastern cousin. The Western Lowland Gorilla can be brown or greyish with a reddish forehead. It also has an overhanging tip on its nose, which the Eastern Gorilla doesn't have. Males measure 170-180cm and weigh 140-275kg. Females measure 140-150cm and weigh 60-100kg. The Western Gorilla is more slender then the Eastern Gorilla. The Cross River Gorilla differs from the Western Lowland Gorilla in both skull and tooth dimensions.

Overview

The Western Gorilla is an agile climber and is more arboreal than the Eastern Gorilla. It is also more frugivorous and will eat fleshy fruits of almost 100 seasonally fruiting tree species. The Western Gorilla is more difficult to track and study.

The Western Lowland Gorilla subspecies has a small family group compared to other gorillas, averaging 4-8 members. Wild Western Gorillas are known to use tools.^[2]

Status

The World Conservation Union lists the Western Gorilla as critically endangered, the most severe denomination next to global extinction, on its 2007 Red List of Threatened Species. It is thought that the Ebola virus might be depleting Western Gorilla populations to a point where it might become impossible for them to recover.^[3]

2008 Discovery

In mid 2008, researchers discovered as many as 125,000 previously-undiscovered Gorillas in the Republic of Congo. This discovery could more than double the known population of the animals, though the effect that the discovery will have on the Gorillas' conservation status is currently unknown.^[4]

References

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