Largest Gorilla Species

Gorillas are the largest of all primate species. Only four accepted subspecies of gorilla exist: the western lowland, cross river, mountain and eastern lowland. Of these subspecies, the one that grows largest on average is the eastern lowland gorilla. All subspecies are large and powerful animals, and they are also distant relatives of humans.

  1. Description

    • Male eastern lowland gorillas grow to between 5 and 6 feet tall and weigh from 300 to 500 lbs. Females are smaller and grow to 5 feet tall and between 150 and 200 lbs. It is a large, muscular animal with a human-like body shape. Females have completely black fur, while adult males are the same except for a saddle-shaped silver patch on their backs. This marking is why adult male gorillas are called silver backs.

    Habitat and Range

    • The eastern lowland gorilla lives in a small range in the Africa countries of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Rwanda. They live in tropical rain forests at altitudes below 8,000 feet, much lower than the mountain subspecies that ranges to 11,000 feet. The gorillas travel around constantly and will make nests out of leaves, twigs and branches to sleep in overnight as well as in the afternoons.

    Diet and Dangers

    • The gorilla diet is mostly vegetarian and they will eat almost anything green. Much of the day is spent finding food such as leaves, stems, fruits and roots. The animals will sometimes eat small mammals and insects. Because of the gorilla's huge size and strength, it has few natural predators to fear. Hunting by humans for the meat and deforestation have put all subspecies of gorilla at risk. The eastern lowland gorilla is listed as endangered.

    Life Cycle

    • The gorillas travel around in groups called troops, which consist of between 5 and 30 individuals. The troops are usually led by a single silver back male and otherwise consist of mainly females and young gorillas. The male protects the whole troop and finds places for them to feed and may have to fight off other males who try and take over. The dominant male breeds with all the females in his troop. Pregnancy lasts between 8 and 9 months with usually one baby being born, or occasionally two. The female looks after the baby for about three years and only breeds once every four.