Gorilla

The Gorilla is the largest species among primates and the male may weigh approximately 200 kilograms (approximately 440 lbs.) in its maturity. The species is categorized into three geographically distinct subspecies: the mountain gorilla, the eastern lowland gorilla, and the western lowland gorilla. The only subspecies seen in Japanese zoos is the western lowland gorilla, which is, unlike the other two subspecies, characterized by its relatively short, brownish gray hair and downward protruding nose cartilage. Despite to its brawny frame, the gorilla is basically a vegetarian. It lives mainly on fruit, leaves, roots of plants, and tree bark, but the creature occasionally eats ants and other insects as a protein source.
The gorilla is generally a polygamist and its typical band consists of a male leader, called a silverback because its hair from the back to the thigh parts is often silver-colored, and a dozen mature females and their young. The silverback is in charge of the band's migration routes and camping locations, and also carries the responsibility of guarding the band from various intruders.

Habitat

All of the three types of gorillas inhabit the forests of equatorial Africa: the western lowland gorilla in Cameroon and Central Africa, the eastern lowland gorilla in the eastern region of Zaire, and the mountain gorilla in the mountain region that strides the Zaire-Rwanda border and the forests of Uganda slightly to the north. Most of these habitats are not protected by laws and the number of the species is decreasing year by year due to unrelenting poaching for their craniums and fur. In addition, due to deforestation for underground resource mining, the number of gorillas has decreased and the possible extinction of the species has become a concern in some areas. In Japan, zoos in Tokyo are attempting to breed the species on the basis of the worldwide “zoo stock” projects whose purpose is to breed rare animals.