gorilla: Quick Facts

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Saving Bili: One gorilla’s journey from illegal traffickers back to the wild • Oct. 16, 2026, 4:02 AM ET (CNN)

Facts

Also Known As	Gorilla

Photos and Videos

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)

western lowland gorilla

A western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) sits among dense green foliage in a tropical rainforest in the Central African Republic.

Line drawings of seven anthropoid primates-pale-headed saki, drill, tamarin, sooty mangabey, gorilla, siamang gibbon, and spider monkey-each labeled with their common and scientific names, illustrating differences in body shape and posture.

human and gorilla hands compared

Side-by-side skeletal diagrams compare a modern human standing upright and a gorilla walking on all fours, with labeled bones and close-up views of the female pelvis for each species.

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.

Meet gorillas in Rwanda's mountains

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Topics

lowland gorilla eastern gorilla silverback western gorilla Why do gorillas beat their chests?Orangutan or gorilla: Which is bigger?western lowland gorilla eastern lowland gorilla Cross River gorilla mountain gorilla orangutan

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