Gorillas
Gorillas
Gorillas (/ɡəˈrɪləz/ gə-RIL-əz) are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Sub-Saharan Africa. The genus Gorilla is divided into two species: the eastern gorillas and the western gorillas, and either four or five subspecies. They are the largest living primates.
Etymology
The word gorilla comes from the history of Hanno the Navigator, a Carthaginian explorer on an expedition on the west African coast to the area that later became Sierra Leone. Members of the expedition encountered "savage people, the greater part of whom were women, whose bodies were hairy, and who our interpreters called Gorillae". The word was then later used as the species name, though it is unknown whether what these ancient Carthaginians encountered were truly gorillas, another species of ape or monkeys, or humans.
Species and Subspecies
The genus Gorilla is divided into two species: the Eastern Gorillas and the Western Gorillas. The Eastern Gorillas are further divided into two subspecies: the Mountain Gorillas and the Eastern Lowland Gorillas. The Western Gorillas are also divided into two subspecies: the Western Lowland Gorillas and the Cross River Gorillas.
Related Terms
- Primate
- Ape
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Eastern Gorillas
- Western Gorillas
- Mountain Gorillas
- Eastern Lowland Gorillas
- Western Lowland Gorillas
- Cross River Gorillas
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