Western gorilla
Amazing fact
Western gorillas make nests of branches and leaves on the ground or in trees.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
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An illustration based on the real animal.
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Western gorillas make nests of branches and leaves on the ground or in trees.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Western gorilla
- Scientific name
- Gorilla gorilla
- Japanese name
- ニシゴリラ
- Group
- Land mammals
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Primates
- Family
- Hominidae
- Genus
- Gorilla
This page covers the western gorilla as a species; the western lowland gorilla is a subspecies of the western gorilla.
It is a very large, powerful primate that lives in the forests near the equator in Africa.
On the ground it walks on its hands and feet, placing its front limbs on the outer side of its finger joints. This is called knuckle-walking.
Despite its large body, it feeds mainly on plant leaves and stems and eats hardly any animal food.
How the Western gorilla lives
They usually feed in the morning and afternoon. They also climb trees in search of food. They live in groups of males, females and young.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web上野動物園Basic data
- Weight
- males 140–160 kg上野動物園
- Lifespan
- 35–40 years in the wild, up to 50 years in captivityUniversity of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
- Active
- By day (diurnal)University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
- Diet
- Plant leaves and stems, among other plant material上野動物園
- Range
- Western to central Central Africa上野動物園
Where the Western gorilla has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- ニシゴリラ
- 简体中文
- 西部大猩猩
- 繁體中文
- 大猩猩
- 한국어
- 서부고릴라
- Español
- Gorila occidental
- Français
- Gorille de l'Ouest
- Deutsch
- Westlicher Gorilla
- Português (Brasil)
- Gorila-do-ocidente
- Italiano
- Gorilla occidentale
- العربية
- غوريلا غربية
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Gorila barat
- Tiếng Việt
- Khỉ đột phía tây
- Русский
- Западная горилла
- Türkçe
- Batı gorili
- اردو
- مغربی گوریلا
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 上野動物園 — ニシゴリラ（ニシローランドゴリラ）Checked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Gorilla gorillaChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Western gorilla, look for this
- Look for movement at the top of the raised head while it eats.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
上野動物園EXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Western gorilla
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Hominidae
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