Gorilla

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Gorilla

Gorilla (/ɡəˈrɪlə/; from Greek: γόριλλαι, gorillai) is a genus of primates in the family Hominidae. The genus 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 by Thomas Savage, a missionary to Liberia in 1847, to describe the great ape he had seen.

Description

Gorillas are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Sub-Saharan Africa. They are divided into two species: the eastern gorillas (Gorilla beringei) and the western gorillas (Gorilla gorilla). Furthermore, each of these is divided into two subspecies. Adult males are noted for their prominent crests on the midline of the skull, which are formed of strong muscle fibers and dense bone.

Behavior

Gorillas' natural habitats cover tropical or subtropical forests in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although their range covers a small percentage of Sub-Saharan Africa, gorillas cover a wide range of elevations. The mountain gorilla inhabits the Albertine Rift montane cloud forests of the Virunga Volcanoes, ranging in altitude from 2,200–4,300 metres (7,200–14,100 ft).

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