The Eastern Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) is a subspecies of Eastern Gorilla

Eastern Gorilla

The eastern gorilla is a species of the genus Gorilla and the largest living primate. At present, the species is subdivided into two subspecies. The eastern lowland gorilla is the most populous, at about 5,000 individuals. The mountain gorilla has only about 700 individuals...

 that is now only found in the forests of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...

. Many live within the boundaries of Kahuzi-Biega National Park

Kahuzi-Biéga National Park

Kahuzi-Biéga National Park is in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, 50 km west of the town of Bukavu in the Kivu Region, near to the western side of Lake Kivu and the Rwandan border....

.

This subspecies is considerably larger and more robust in appearance than the Western Lowland Gorilla

Western Lowland Gorilla

The western lowland gorilla is a subspecies of the western gorilla that lives in montane, primary, and secondary forests and lowland swamps in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. It is the gorilla usually found in zoos...

, having a longer body, longer teeth, a stronger jaw and a broader torso. They have black coats which in males, like other gorilla

Gorilla

Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...

s, turns silver at the back as the animal matures. There are far more Western Lowland Gorillas than the Eastern variety; compared to a possible total of over 100,000 Western Lowland Gorillas, there are only about 4,000 Eastern Lowland Gorillas in the wild, and 24 in zoos.

Habitat and diet

Eastern Lowland Gorillas are predominantly herbivorous

Herbivore

Herbivores are organisms that are anatomically and physiologically adapted to eat plant-based foods. Herbivory is a form of consumption in which an organism principally eats autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in...

, eating mostly leaves. They are known to eat only a few leaves from a single plant, allowing the plant to regrow. They will also eat fruit, seeds, bamboo

Bamboo

Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....

 shoots and insects. Gorillas also engage in Coprophagia

Coprophagia

Coprophagia or coprophagy is the consumption of feces, from the Greek κόπρος copros and φαγεῖν phagein . Many animal species practice coprophagia as a matter of course; other species do not normally consume feces but may do so under unusual conditions...

, They eat their own feces

Feces

Feces, faeces, or fæces is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus or cloaca during defecation.-Etymology:...

, as well as the feces of other gorillas. Similar behavior has also been observed among Chimpanzees. Such behavior may serve to improve absorption of vitamins or of nutritive elements made available from the re-ingestion of seeds.

Size

The Eastern Lowland Gorilla is the largest subspecies of the Gorilla and the largest living primate. The maximum size of a male Eastern Lowland Gorilla can be over 250 kilograms (551.2 lb) and when standing fully erect over 2 metres (6.6 ft) in the wild, with much heavier weights recorded in captivity. Some males are recorded to have weighed 275 kg (606.3 lb), 287 kg (632.7 lb), 312 kg (687.8 lb), 318 kg (701.1 lb) and 338 kg (745.2 lb). The record weight belongs to a male named Phil, who weighed 388 kilograms (855.4 lb) and lived between 1941 and 1958 at the St. Louis Zoo. Phil's measurements were: height 1.7 metres (5.6 ft), bust 182 centimetres (71.7 in), neck 91.5 centimetres (36 in) and wrist 38 centimetres (15 in). He was weighed on a verified weight after an eight-week-long diet. According to the late John Aspinall

John Aspinall (zoo owner)

John Victor Aspinall was a British zoo owner and gambler. He was born in Delhi, India, but was a citizen of the United Kingdom.-Biography:...

, a 550lb male Eastern Lowland Gorilla in his prime has the combined strength of 7-8 heavyweight Olympic weightlifters.

Behaviour

Eastern Lowland Gorillas tend to be sociable and very peaceful, living in groups of 5 to 30. A group usually consists of one silverback and few subdominant males. Silverbacks are the strong, dominant troop leaders (see alpha male). They are in charge of leading the group to food and protecting the group from danger. Males will slowly begin to leave their original group when they reach maturity, usually traveling with a group of other males for a few years before being able to attract females to form a new group.

Reproduction

A female will give birth to twins or a single infant after a gestation period of about 8½ months. They breastfeed for about 12 months. The baby can crawl at around 9 weeks old and can walk at about 35 weeks old. Infant gorillas normally stay with their mother for 3 to 4 years and mature at around 11 to 12 years old.

External links

• ARKive - images and movies of the eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei)
• Eastern Lowland Gorilla Numbers Plunge to 5,000, Study Says National Geographic News, March 2004.