Gorilla types and species

Gorillas are the biggest of primates and are native to the African continent living in some forest habitats across the sub-Sahara Africa. You can also find captive gorillas in museums across the world. The face of the gorillas is of course the iconic Silverback Gorilla, but the gorillas are of different types or species and subspecies. The Silverback Gorilla is popular for its massive size and incredible strength, being the strongest of all primates. In the wild, the dominant male which is the silverback gorilla leads a gorilla family which can have as few as 4 individuals and as many as 30 gorillas and more and this family includes younger males, the females, juveniles and babies.

Species of gorillas

There are two species of the gorillas and under the two species are different subspecies. The following are the species of gorillas with respective subspecies and where they are found in Africa.

Western Gorilla

The scientific name of western gorilla is Gorilla gorilla. The western gorillas have a paler or lighter color than the eastern gorilla. The western gorillas are also smaller than the eastern gorillas. The western gorillas are found in parts of central and west Africa (call it midwest Africa). The western gorilla species are the most numerous of gorilla types with hundreds of thousands of individuals. The western gorillas are actually the ones found in zoos around the world and also kept as pets in homes. They have been found to easily adapt to new environments.

Subspecies of western gorillas

There are two subspecies of western gorillas, namely;

• Western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)
• Cross river gorillas (gorilla Gorilla diehli)

Western lowland gorillas

The biggest of population of gorillas in the world are the western lowland gorillas. They live in the vast forests of central Africa. They western lowland gorillas can be found in the following countries and parks Gabon Democratic Republic of Congo Congo (also called Congo Brazzaville) Equatorial Guinea Cameroon Central African Republic

Cross river  gorillas

These are a small population are not easy to see. They are found in a border region between Nigeria and Cameroon

Eastern gorillas

The scientific name for Eastern Gorilla is gorilla beringei The eastern gorillas are found in eastern Africa in the Albertine rift valley. There are two sub-species of the Eastern Gorilla namely;

• Mountain gorillas (gorilla beringei beringei)
• Eastern lowland gorillas / Grauer’s gorillas (gorilla beringei gruaeri)

The mountain gorillas (gorilla beringei beringei)

As their name suggests, the mountain gorillas live in highlands and mountains in the Albertine rift valley. Three countries are home to the mountain gorillas including Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The mountain gorillas are critically endangered with about 1000 individuals left. Also, mountain gorillas are not found anywhere else in the world apart from their natural habitats in the three countries. This species of gorillas does not easily adapt to new environment. Gorilla trekking adventures in Rwanda and Uganda provide a chance to see the mountain gorillas in their natural habitats

Eastern lowland gorillas (gorilla beringei graueri)

The close cousins of the mountain gorillas are found in the lowland forests near the Albertine rift valley. The eastern lowland gorillas are found only in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Kahuzi-Biega National Park. The eastern lowland gorilla is the largest gorilla among all the gorilla subspecies.