top of page

The Western Lowland Gorilla


The western lowland gorilla (scientific name gorilla gorilla gorilla) is a subspecies of gorilla that inhabits the most dense and remote rainforests of Gabon, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is distinguishable from other subspecies of gorilla by its wider skull, smaller ears, auburn chest, brown-gray coat, slightly smaller size, and more pronounced brow ridge.

The western lowland gorilla is classified as a Critically Endangered species. It is this close to becoming extinct for two reasons. The first reason is that much of its population is hunted for food. Because of this, one of the World Wildlife Fund's (WWF's) efforts to save it consists of supporting programs that increase antipoaching efforts. The second reason is that much of its population is killed by the Ebola virus, which is believed to now exist in most of its habitat. Because of this, another one of the WWF's efforts to save it consists of contributing to efforts to develop an Ebola vaccine for it.

Featured Posts
Recent Posts
Archive
Search By Tags
Follow Us
  • Facebook Basic Square
  • Twitter Basic Square
  • Google+ Basic Square
bottom of page