The scientific name for Eastern Gorillas is Gorilla berinngei, and the scientific name for Western Gorillas is Gorilla gorilla. Amongst various other differences, monkeys have tails while apes do not.Дў)В There are two gorilla species: Eastern and Western. Despite often being referred to as monkeys, they are not. In fact, they are considered the largest primates in the world.

Interesting Facts about Gorilla HabitatД«aby Gorilla in Rwanda, photo by Bret Love & Mary Gabbett Basic Gorilla FactsДЎ)В Gorillas are primates, an order of mammals that also includes monkeys, apes, tarsiers, lemurs, and humans.

READ MORE: Mountain Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda So hereвЂ™s a look at 50 interesting facts about gorillas, including trivial tidbits about different types of gorillas, why gorillas are endangered, gorilla conservation efforts, and much more. GGT founders Bret Love and Mary Gabbett describe their time in RwandaвЂ™s Mountain Gorilla habitat as life-changing. Rules state thatВ visitors must maintain a safe distance, but the gorillas donвЂ™t always follow the rules. Gorilla watching trips are an incredible experience, with baby gorillas clinging to their mothers as silverback gorillas watch over them protectively. This allows a group of up to 8 people to spend an hour with a gorilla family in their native habitat. Travelers pay anywhere from $600 (in Uganda) to $1500 (in Rwanda) for a gorilla trekking permit. So, with interest in the species at an all-time high, perhaps itвЂ™s no surprise that the popularity of gorilla safarisВ has surged dramatically in recent years. A 17-year-old silverback gorilla named Harambe was shot in the Cincinnati Zoo after a three-year-old boy fell into his enclosure.В The incident instigated a huge amount of public debate, and drew further media attention to the increasingly endangered species. In 2016 gorillas were dominating headlines again, but for all the wrong reasons. By the time she passed away in 2018 at age 46,В Koko had learned to adapt and combine words to express herself. Koko taught from an early age to communicate with American sign language, could use over 1,000 signs and understand over 2,000 spoken (English) words.

More recently,В Project KokoВ turned a young female gorilla into an international celebrity. Fossey was not only a trailblazer in primatology and gorilla research, but sheвЂ™s widely credited with habituating the Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda to human presence. The 1988 film Gorillas in the MistВ showcased the groundbreaking work of Dian Fossey, a highly controversial figure in the world of gorilla conservation. These gentle giants have loomed large in the public consciousness for nearly a century, ever since a fictionalized version of the great ape, King Kong, began appearing in movies in 1933. They even have impressive language skills! The gorilla lifespan can be up toВ 50 to 60 years in captivity (though they tend to die younger in the wild). They are intelligent, interactive, and identifiable. Like us, gorillasвЂ™ hands have opposable thumbs, and they can walk upright on two legs.

Much of our cultural fascination with gorillas centers around just how human they can seem. The largest of the primate species, gorillas rank amongst the most recognized and the most endangered species in the world.

Green gorilla montebello