Mountain gorilla

Mountain gorilla
Male mountain gorilla
Female and baby mountain gorillas
CITES Appendix I (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Family: Hominidae
Subfamily: Homininae
Genus: Gorilla
Species:
G. beringei
Subspecies:
G. b. beringei[1]
Trinomial name
Gorilla beringei beringei[1]
Matschie, 1903
Distribution range in blue

The mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) is one of the two subspecies of the eastern gorilla. It is listed as endangered by the IUCN as of 2018.[2]

There are two populations: One is found in the Virunga volcanic mountains of Central/East Africa, within three National Parks: Mgahinga, in southwest Uganda; Volcanoes, in northwest Rwanda; and Virunga, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The other population is found in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Some primatologists speculate the Bwindi population is a separate subspecies,[3] though no description has been finalized. As of June 2018, there were more than 1,000 individuals.[4]

  1. ^ Groves, C. P. (2005). "Subspecies Gorilla beringei beringei". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 181–182. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. OCLC 62265494.
  2. ^ a b c Hickey, J. R.; Basabose, A.; Gilardi, K. V.; Greer, D.; Nampindo, S.; Robbins, M. M. & Stoinski, T. S. (2018) [amended version of 2018 assessment]. "Gorilla beringei ssp. beringei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T39999A176396749. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  3. ^ Stanford, C. (2001). "The subspecies concept in primatology: the case of mountain gorillas". Primates. 42 (4): 309–318. doi:10.1007/bf02629622. S2CID 30051620.
  4. ^ "Endangered mountain gorilla population recovers to over 1,000". Reuters. 2018-06-02. Retrieved 2019-12-16.