Gorilla Types
For
many years gorillas were classified as a single species within the genus
Gorilla. However, recent genetic evidence suggests that this classification
should be modified to distinguish two separate species: the western and eastern
gorillas, each represented by several subspecies.
Western
gorillas live in the western portion of central Africa (Gabon, Republic of the
Congo, Cameroon, Central African Republic, and Mbini). Eastern gorillas live in
eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC, formerly Zaire), Rwanda, and
Uganda. Although nearly all gorillas found in zoos are western gorillas rather
than eastern gorillas, a subspecies of the eastern gorilla commonly known as the
mountain gorilla is most familiar due to extensive research and popular
documentary and motion-picture portrayals of its life in the wild.
Click
here for Gorilla Shirts and many other types of animals
