Eastern lowland gorilla

Eastern lowland gorilla
Temporal range: Pleistocene to recent
Silverback in Kahuzi-Biéga National Park
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. graueri
Trinomial name
Gorilla beringei graueri
(Matschie, 1914)
Distribution range in green

The eastern lowland gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) or Grauer's gorilla is a Critically Endangered subspecies of eastern gorilla endemic to the mountainous forests of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Important populations of this gorilla live in the Kahuzi-Biega and Maiko National Parks and their adjacent forests, the Tayna Gorilla Reserve, the Usala forest and on the Itombwe Massif.

It is the largest of the four gorilla subspecies. It has a jet black coat like the mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei), although the hair is shorter on the head and body. The male's coat, like that of other gorillas, greys as the animal matures, resulting in the designation "silverback".

There are far fewer eastern lowland gorillas compared to western lowland gorillas. According to a 2004 report there were only about 5,000 eastern lowland gorillas in the wild,[3] down to fewer than 3,800 in 2016,[4] compared to over 100,000 western lowland gorillas. However, a survey in 2021 gave an estimate of up to 6,800 suggesting the decline was not as bad as feared although they are still facing severe threats.[5] Outside their native range, only one female eastern lowland gorilla lives in captivity, at the Antwerp Zoo in Belgium.[6][7]

  1. ^ Plumptre, A.; Nixon, S.; Caillaud, D.; Hall, J. S.; Hart, J. A.; Nishuli, R.; Williamson, E. A. (2016) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Gorilla beringei ssp. graueri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T39995A102328430.
  2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  3. ^ Pickrell, J. (21 March 2004). "Eastern lowland gorilla numbers plunge to 5,000, study says". National Geographic News. Archived from the original on 5 April 2004.
  4. ^ Nuwer, Rachel (24 April 2016). "Grauer's Gorillas May Soon Be Extinct, Conservationists Say". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  5. ^ Plumptre, Andrew J.; Kirkby, Andrew; Spira, Charlotte; Kivono, Jeannot; Mitamba, Guillain; Ngoy, Erasme; Nishuli, Radar; Strindberg, Samantha; Maisels, Fiona; Buckland, Steeves; Ormsby, Lucy; Kujirakwinja, Deo (2021). "Changes in Grauer's gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) and other primate populations in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park and Oku Community Reserve, the heart of Grauer's gorilla global range" (PDF). American Journal of Primatology. 83 (7): e23288. doi:10.1002/ajp.23288. PMID 34056732. S2CID 235257115.
  6. ^ "Grauer's gorilla (Eastern lowland gorilla)*". Zootierliste.
  7. ^ "Gorillas" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2016.