Mountain Gorillas Vs Lowland Gorillas

Mountain Gorillas Vs Lowland Gorillas : Mountain gorillas are among natural species that have frequently been misinterpreted by humans. Various people thought of gorillas being dangerous and violent apes which isn’t true. In actual sense mountain gorillas are often timid and prefer to be alone. These species are sociable apes and live in groups of 5 to 30 individuals depending on the species. All in all gorillas are unique to Africa and typically inhabit lowland swamp forests, montane forests as well as tropical rainforests.

There are only two species of gorillas that exist in the world and that’s why tourists travel to Africa to see these gorgeous apes in their natural settings which contributes significantly to the continents tourism business. The western gorilla and the eastern gorilla [gorilla beringei] are the two species of gorillas. Both of these gorilla species have two gorilla subspecies and these follow;

THE WESTERN GORILLA SPECIES

There are two subspecies of the western gorilla and these include;

Western lowland gorilla [Gorilla gorilla gorilla]

The cross river gorilla [Gorilla gorilla Diehli]

The western gorillas are found in both lowland swamp forests and montane forests at elevations of up to 1’600 meters above sea level. The western lowland gorillas reside in swamp and lowland forests up to 1,600 meters above sea level, whereas the cross River gorillas live in low-lying and sub-montane forests 150-1,600 meters above sea level. The western gorillas may be found in forests throughout the west central Africa.

THE EASTERN GORILLA [GORILLA BERINGEI]

The eastern gorilla is the world’s second most populous gorilla species. There are two subspecies of this species and these include;

The eastern lowland gorilla

The western lowland gorilla [Gorilla Beringei Graueri]

Mountain Gorilla

The most sought after gorilla species is the eastern gorilla which may be found in east central Africa. The eastern gorillas dwell in the montane and sub-mntane forests ranging in elevation from 650 to 4,000 meters above sea level.

The IUCN red list classifies both western and eastern gorillas as severely endangered species. Factors such as habitat degradation, poaching, large scale deforestation and civil conflicts among others which threaten their existence in the wild.

Mountain Gorillas Vs Lowland Gorillas

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE MOUNTAIN GORILLAS AND EASTERN LOWLAND GORILLAS.

The mountain gorillas and the eastern lowland gorillas differ in population, physical appearance and habitat

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

The eastern gorilla is deeper in color than the western gorilla whereas the mountain gorilla is the darkest of all the four species. Mountain gorillas have the thickest hair whereas the eastern lowland gorillas have a longer face and larger chest than mountain gorillas.

Mature male gorillas weigh up to 219kg while the adult female gorillas can weigh up to 113kg. The adult male gorillas in the wild can weigh between 136 and 195 kg whereas the adult females weigh half as much as adult males weighing 68 to 113kg on average.

The eastern gorillas can grow to 5 -6 feet tall for adult males and 4-5 feet tall for mature females. Adult male eastern gorillas weigh between 309 and 453 pounds [140 and 206kg]. The mature females weigh between 200 and 220 pounds [90 to 100kg].

DIFFERENCE IN HABITAT

The Eastern lowland gorillas are found in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The eastern lowland gorilla makes its home in the lowland tropical rainforests of Congo in Kahuzi biega national park. Mountain gorillas are found in Rwanda, Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo. These are the only three nations in the world where visitors can observe the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.

DIFFERENCE IN POPULATION

Population of both the western and eastern gorillas vary depending on subspecies and according to data. Mountain gorillas have increased their population with the most recent 2018 population census revealing that there are over 1004 mountain gorillas in the wild and this is distributed among the 3 countries of Rwanda, Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo. The natural population of eastern lowland gorillas is estimated to be less than 3,800 individuals.

Gorillas are highly sociable creatures that are not scary as a known belief would have us believe. Gorilla trekking excursions are one approach to obtain a deeper knowledge of gorillas and why we should all work together to protect and conserve these primate species for future generations.