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gorilla
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mountain gorilla (Gorilla gorilla beringei) A western lowland silverback gorilla stands on all fours in a grassy area with dense green foliage in the background. Diagram tracing the evolutionary split of humans, chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas over the past 12 million years, with skull illustrations for key hominin species and African great apes, and branching lines showing divergence points. Illustration of a male western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) standing on all fours, showing its muscular build, dark fur, and prominent brow ridge, with a scale bar below for size reference. gorilla (Gorilla gorilla)
A gorilla sits on a tree trunk with a blue arrow pointing to it. Large text reads, "What makes apes so special?" with trees and zoo habitat in the background.
Why don't humans have tails?
The video thumbnail image shows two black and white photos of monkey and ape heads, surrounded by blue and pink circles.
western lowland gorilla A western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) sits among dense green foliage in a tropical rainforest in the Central African Republic.
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gorilla (Gorilla gorilla)
gorilla summary
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mountain gorilla (Gorilla gorilla beringei)
mountain gorilla (Gorilla gorilla beringei) Adult male mountain gorilla (Gorilla gorilla beringei) in Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

gorilla

primate
Also known as: Gorilla
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History

gorilla, (genus Gorilla), genus of primates containing the largest of the apes. The gorilla is one of the closest living relatives to humans; both groups last shared a common ancestor about 10 million years ago. Only the chimpanzee and the bonobo are closer. Gorillas live only in tropical forests of equatorial Africa. Most authorities recognize two species and four subspecies. The western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) is made up of two subspecies: the western lowland gorilla...

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