16 Amazing Facts You Should Know About Eastern Lowland Gorilla

             Kingdom : Animalia
                    Class : Mammalia
                 Family : Homonidae
  Scientific Name : Gorilla Berengei Graueri

                Size(H) : 1.5m - 1.8m 
                                  (5ft - 6ft)
                 Weight : 204kg - 227kg 
                                  (450lbs - 500lbs)
           Top Speed : 40km/h (25mph)
            Life Span : 35 - 50 years

                Colour : Black, Grey, Brown
           Skin Type : Hair
Special Features : Sociable habits and
                                agile hands and feet

1. Eastern Lowland Gorillas are a sub species of eastern gorillas found in the African jungles.
2. They are more common than the mountain gorillas which are the other subspecies of Eastern Gorilla.
3. They are one of the largest primates in the world.
4. They inhabit the lowland swamps, secondary forests, and tropical jungles and forests of eastern and central Africa.
5. They differ slightly in appearance from the mountain gorilla.
6. They belong to the group of great apes along with the Orangutans, Chimpanzees, other gorillas and humans.
7. Their body has adapted well to the jungle life with opposable thumbs.
8. They are known to use tools to gather food more effectively.
9. They are omnivores primarily feeding on fruits, leaves, nuts, berries, insects and occasionally on lizards and rodents.
10. They have very few natural predators in leopards and crocodiles.
11. They live in groups comprising an alpha male, females and their young.
12. The alpha male mates with the females in the group.
13. The female Eastern gorilla gives birth to a single baby which is dependent on its mother for the first few years.
14. Habitat loss due to deforestation and the recent civil unrest is the biggest threat to eastern gorillas.
15. Illegal poaching and habitat loss has brought down their numbers in the wild to around 5,000.
16. This makes them an endangered species today.