Eastern lowland gorilla
Gorilla beringei graueri
The eastern lowland gorilla also known as the Grauer's gorilla is a subspecies of eastern gorilla endemic to the mountainous forests of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Important populations of this gorilla live within 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 jet black coats like the mountain gorilla , although the hair is shorter on the head and body. The male's coat, like that of other gorillas, turns silver at the back as the animal matures. There are many more western lowland gorillas than the eastern variety; compared to a possible total of over 100,000 western lowland gorillas, there are only about 5,000 eastern lowland gorillas in the wild. Outside the native range, only a single female is in captivity at the Antwerp Zoo in Belgium.
It is the largest of the four gorilla subspecies. It has jet black coats like the mountain gorilla , although the hair is shorter on the head and body. The male's coat, like that of other gorillas, turns silver at the back as the animal matures. There are many more western lowland gorillas than the eastern variety; compared to a possible total of over 100,000 western lowland gorillas, there are only about 5,000 eastern lowland gorillas in the wild. Outside the native range, only a single female is in captivity at the Antwerp Zoo in Belgium.