A large ape of forests in west-central Africa. Dark hair covers its body, while the face, hands and feet have little hair.
It makes resting nests from branches and leaves on the ground or in trees.
Western gorillas eat leaves, stems and fruit, climb for food and make resting nests from vegetation. Following a group’s feeding reveals which parts of forest plants they use. A Gabon study recorded time spent extracting and eating seeds as one part of this varied diet.
Ten focal gorillas in the Atananga Group at Loango National Park, Gabon, observed from January 2018 to July 2020 ate fruits, herbaceous leaves and pith, tree leaves, bark and flowers, extracted seeds, and termites. In the 2018–2019 annual feeding-time data, eating extracted seeds accounted for about 10% of feeding time.
Older males develop grey hair across the back and hips and are called silverbacks. Their day also includes plant meals and rest in nests.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Logging and conversion to farmland remove forests that provide food and resting sites. Illegal hunting for meat is another threat.