The Cross River gorilla is a critically endangered subspecies of the western gorilla. It was named a new species in 1904 by Paul Matschie, a mammalian taxonomist working at the Humboldt University Zoological Museum in Berlin, but its populations were not systematically surveyed until 1987.
Cross River gorilla
Facial view of an adult Cross River Gorilla in Mefou sanctuary
Nyango, the only known Cross River gorilla in captivity. She died on October 10, 2016.
The western gorilla is a great ape found in Africa, one of two species of the hominid genus Gorilla. Large and robust with males weighing around 168 kilograms (370 lb), the species is found in a region of midwest Africa, geographically isolated from the eastern gorilla. The hair of the western species is significantly lighter in color.
Image: Male gorilla in SF zoo
Image: Gorilla gorilla at the Bronx Zoo 007
Western gorilla
Image: Western Lowland Gorilla 03