Eastern Gorilla[1]
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN) [2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Primates Family: Hominidae Genus: Gorilla Species: G. beringei
Binomial name
Gorilla beringei Matschie, 1903
Subspecies
G. b. beringei G. b. graueri ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 705 KB) Description: File links The following pages link to this file: Rwanda ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn2. ... The Siberian Tiger, a subspecies of tiger. ... The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... “Animalia” redirects here. ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Subclasses Subclass Allotheria* Order Docodonta (extinct) Order Multituberculata (extinct) Order Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Order Triconodonta (extinct) Order Volaticotheria (extinct) Subclass Prototheria Order Monotremata Subclass Theria Infraclass Trituberculata (extinct) Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria Mammals are a class of vertebrate animals characterized by the production of milk in females for the nourishment of... Families 15, See classification A primate is any member of the biological order Primates, the group that contains all the species commonly related to the lemurs, monkeys, and apes, with the latter category including humans. ... Genera The hominids are the members of the biological family Hominidae (the great apes), which includes humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. ... Type species Troglodytes gorilla Savage, 1847 distribution of Gorilla Species Gorilla gorilla Gorilla beringei The gorilla, the largest of the living primates, is a ground-dwelling omnivore that inhabits the forests of Africa. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal system of naming species. ... Paul Matschie (1861 – 1926) was a German zoologist. ... In zoology, as in other branches of biology, subspecies is the rank immediately subordinate to a species. ... Trinomial name Gorilla berengei berengei Matschie, 1914 The Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) is one of two subspecies of Eastern Gorillas. ... Trinomial name Gorilla beringei graueri (Matschie, 1914) The Eastern Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) is a subspecies of Eastern Gorilla that is now only found in the forests of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. ...

The Eastern Gorilla (Gorilla beringei) is a species of the genus Gorilla and the largest living primate. The species is subdivided into two or three subspecies. The Eastern Lowland Gorilla (G. b. graueri) is the most populous, at about 16,000 individuals.^[3] The Mountain Gorilla (G. b. beringei) has only about 700 individuals. Scientists are considering elevating the Bwindi gorilla population (which numbers about half of the Mountain Gorilla population) to the rank of subspecies. Type species Troglodytes gorilla Savage, 1847 distribution of Gorilla Species Gorilla gorilla Gorilla beringei The gorilla, the largest of the living primates, is a ground-dwelling omnivore that inhabits the forests of Africa. ... Families 15, See classification A primate is any member of the biological order Primates, the group that contains all the species commonly related to the lemurs, monkeys, and apes, with the latter category including humans. ... Trinomial name Gorilla beringei graueri (Matschie, 1914) The Eastern Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) is a subspecies of Eastern Gorilla that is now only found in the forests of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... Trinomial name Gorilla berengei berengei Matschie, 1914 The Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) is one of two subspecies of Eastern Gorillas. ... The Bwindi Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla beringei), found only in the rain forests of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest comprises half the worlds endangered population of about 600 Mountain Gorillas. ...

Physical characteristics

The Eastern Gorilla is a large homonid with a large head, broad chest, and long arms. It has a flat nose with large nostrils. The face, hands, feet and breast are bald. The fur is mainly black, but adult males have a silvery "saddle" on their back. When the gorilla gets older, the entire fur becomes grayish, much like the gray hair of elderly people. This is why the older males are sometimes called Silverbacks. The Eastern Lowland Gorilla has a shorter, thicker, deep black fur, while the Mountain Gorilla has a more bluish color. Males are much larger than females. A full-grown adult male can weigh up to 220 kg.^[4] Genera The hominids are the members of the biological family Hominidae (the great apes), which includes humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. ... Hair color is the result of pigmentation due to the presence of the chemicals of melanin and phaeomelanin. ...

Distribution and habitat

The Eastern Gorilla occurs in the lowland and mountain rainforests and subalpine forests of eastern Congo-Kinshasa, southwestern Uganda and Rwanda, within the triangle between the Lualaba River, Lake Edward and Lake Tanganyika. The Eastern Gorilla prefers forests with a substrate of dense plant material. The Daintree Rainforest in Queensland, Australia. ... The Lualaba is the headstream of the Congo River, running from the vicinity of Lubumbashi north to Kisangani, where the Congo officially begins. ... Lake Edward can be seen on this map of Uganda Lake Edward is one of the Great Lakes of Africa. ... Lake Tanganyika is a large lake in central Africa (3° 20 to 8° 48 South and from 29° 5 to 31° 15 East). ...

The species lives in small family groups, containing up to 40 animals. A group is leaded by a dominant male, a silverback, a few related females and their offspring. The Eastern Gorilla is not territorial, and the area of a group gorillas often overlaps with that of other groups. In ethology, sociobiology and behavioral ecology, the term territory refers to any geographical area that an animal of a particular species consistently defends against conspecifics (and, occasionally, animals of other species). ...

The gorilla is diurnal and herbivorous; its diet consists mainly of fruit, leaves, and branches. Most of the time is spent by searching for food and resting. A diurnal animal (dī-ŭrnəl) is an animal that is active during the daytime and sleeps during the night. ... A deer and two fawns feeding on some foliage A herbivore is often defined as any organism that eats only plants[1]. By that definition, many fungi, some bacteria, many animals, about 1% of flowering plants and some protists can be considered herbivores. ...

Classification

There are at least two subspecies of the Eastern Gorilla: the Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) of the volcanic slopes of Rwanda, Uganda and eastern Congo-Kinshasa; and the Eastern Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) of the lowlands of eastern Congo and Uganda. A small population from the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in southern Uganda and adjacent areas in Congo differs genetically from the other subspecies, and is therefore often considered as a separate subspecies. In zoology, as in other branches of biology, subspecies is the rank immediately subordinate to a species. ... Trinomial name Gorilla berengei berengei Matschie, 1914 The Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) is one of two subspecies of Eastern Gorillas. ... For other uses, see Volcano (disambiguation). ... Trinomial name Gorilla beringei graueri (Matschie, 1914) The Eastern Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) is a subspecies of Eastern Gorilla that is now only found in the forests of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, largely contained within Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (BINP), comprises a large primeval forest in East Africa at altitudes spanning from 1,160 to 2,607 meters. ...

The Eastern Lowland Gorilla and Mountain Gorilla were previously thought to be two of the three subspecies of one single species, the gorilla (Gorilla gorilla). However, genetic research has shown that the two eastern subspecies are far more closely related than the western subspecies: the Western Lowland Gorilla (G. gorilla gorilla), which justified the separate classification. The two eastern subspecies are now classified as G. beringei. For a non-technical introduction to the topic, please see Introduction to genetics. ... Trinomial name Gorilla gorilla gorilla (Savage, 1847) The Western Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) is a subspecies of the Western Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) that lives in montane, primary, and secondary forests and lowland swamps throughout all or parts of Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo...

Relation to humans

The Eastern Gorilla is the most critically endangered of the two gorilla species. The hunt for bushmeat and the decline in suitable habitat as a result of intensifying forestry and the development of agriculture form the most important threats for the species. In some national parks, expeditions in search for Mountain Gorillas are a popular tourist attraction. This has both advantages (environmental awareness, financial benefit) and disadvantages (disturbance of natural behavior) for the conservation of the gorillas. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... A decidous beech forest in Slovenia. ... Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales, UK A national park is a reserve of land, usually declared and owned by a national government, protected from most human development and pollution. ... A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit. ...

As opposed to the Western Lowland Gorilla, the Eastern Gorilla is seldomly found in zoos. The Antwerp Zoo is probably the only Western zoo that has Eastern Lowland Gorilla's (two older females). The Mountain Gorilla is not held in captivity at all.^[5] Antwerp Zoo is a zoo in the centre of Antwerp, Belgium located right next to the train station. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

References

1. ^ Groves, Colin (16 November 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 181-182. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. 
2. ^ Butynski et al (2000). Gorilla beringei. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 09 May 2006. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is endangered and the criteria used
3. ^ Eastern Lowland Gorilla. World Wide Fund for Nature. Retrieved on 2006-04-18.
4. ^ Caldecott, Julian; Miles, Lera (2005). World Atlas of Great Apes and Their Conservation. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-24633-0. 
5. ^ Fossey, Dian (2000). Gorillas in the Mist. Houghton Mifflin Books. ISBN 0-618-08360-X.