IUCN Status: Critically Endangered

The critically endangered eastern lowland gorilla, or Grauer’s gorilla, is a subspecies of the eastern gorilla (the other being its cousin the mountain gorilla), which resides exclusively in eastern Congo’s tropical rainforests. Its habitat is continually threatened, meaning the world’s largest primate is being pushed into an ever shrinking range.

Eastern Lowland Gorilla Facts

    01
    Habitat

    It now occupies just 13% of its historical range, and it’s estimated that the population has decreased by more than 50% since the mid-90s.

    The lowland gorillas of Virunga live in a small, isolated forest on Mount Tshiaberimu, just 77 square km in size, situated northwest of Lake Edward.

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  • 01
    Habitat

    Eastern lowland gorillas typically reside in lowland rainforests, but can also live in dense montane forests as long as the climate is still tropical. It is also possible for them to inhabit swampland if the right vegetation grows there. As a consequence of armed conflict and illegal resource exploitation, the subspecies’ range is rapidly decreasing.

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    • 02
    Behavior

    Eastern lowland gorillas, like other subspecies of gorilla, eat up to 18 kg of vegetation a day. Since their diet is rich in moisture, they rarely need to drink any water.

    They supplement their diets with very small servings of insects, such as ants and termites.

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  • 02
    Behavior

    While mothers care directly for infants, who take 8.5 months to develop in the womb, the powerful silverback, the group’s dominant male, offers protection from external threats. He also takes time to play with his offspring, aside from leading the group of up to 30 individuals to nesting and feeding sites.

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    • 03
    Physical Characteristics

    The dominant male within a troop is known as silverback, because of the swathe of silver hair which blankets its rear when he reaches sexual maturity at around twelve years of age. The fur of females and non-mature males is dark and shorter than that of mountain gorillas.

    They have long arms and their thumbs extend further than their fingers.

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  • 03
    Physical Characteristics

    Of the four subspecies of gorilla, the eastern lowland is physically the largest. They have stocky bodies, large hands and bulky skulls compared to the rest of the body. On average, males grow to be 359 pounds (163 kg) and 5.5 feet tall (1.69 m), with females weighing in at 178 pounds (81 kg) and reaching 5.2 feet (1.6 m).

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Resource Exploitation and Poverty Threaten Gorillas

The eastern lowland gorillas near Mount Tshiabirimu remain in an extremely perilous state and are on the verge of extinction. Only seven individuals remain in the Park and the total population is estimated to be 6,800 inidividuals.

Their historical range has decreased by 87% due to civil unrest and resource exploitation, putting at risk the subspecies’ potential for population revival. Without rangers safeguarding Virunga’s gorillas and policing transportation routes for illegally procured materials, the gorillas’ precarious situation would be even more uncertain.

Eastern Lowland Gorilla Facts

  1. The eastern lowland gorilla is the largest of all gorilla subspecies, making it the largest primate and great ape on the planet.
  2. Eastern lowland gorillas have distinct fingerprints like humans. Far easier than examining their hands is a look at their faces. Individuals are identifiable by the unique folds of skin around the nose, known as nose prints. 
  3. An estimated 6,800 eastern lowland gorillas remaining in the wild

Frequent Asked Questions

A. Eastern lowland gorillas normally live in family groups, also known as troops, led by a dominant silverback.

A. The eastern lowland gorilla prefers low-lying rainforest habitats. It is found only in eastern DRC, where in the last 50 years human activity has reduced its range from roughly 8,100 square miles (13,000 km2) to around 4,600 square miles (7,400 km2).

A. The diet of the eastern lowland gorilla is mostly herbivorous, comprising leaves, shoots, stems, roots, fruit and bark, with an added smattering of invertebrates to provide additional protein.

A. Since 1995, numbers of eastern lowland gorilla have been in rapid decline. With a 77% decrease in population, the IUCN listed the subspecies as critically endangered in 2016 when there were less than 6,800 individuals remaining in the wild.

A. The height of eastern lowland gorillas varies depending on factors such as age, sex and diet, but generally they grow to be 4–6 ft (1.3–1.8 m) tall.

A. Eastern lowland gorilla families are highly sociable and generally peaceful, even in large groups with up to 30 individuals. A troop generally comprises several females, their offspring and a dominant silverback, who leads the troop in its feeding and daily activities. Silverbacks also protect their troops against rival silverbacks and predators.