The Eastern lowland gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) is found only in the tropical forests of eastern Zaire, Africa. Like the Western species of gorilla, the Eastern Lowland Gorillas walk on all fours, however, they use the knuckles on their hands instead of their palms. Find out more!

The Eastern Lowland Gorilla has a well developed social structure and they live and travel in family groups. Each family group usually includes a dominant silverback male gorilla, three unrelated adult female gorillas and four or five young gorillas. Subordinate male gorillas may also be found in the groups. Larger groups of 15 – 20 members and even up to 30 members, have also been recorded.

They  mostly eat leaves and other vegetation rather than fruit. Eastern Lowland Gorillas normally feed during the morning and afternoon and rest around midday. They make nests of branches and leaves at night and scientists use nest and scat information collected from these sites to estimate the number of gorillas in a group and to determine their diet.

Eastern Lowland Gorillas can make up to 25 vocalizations such as grunts, laughs, hoots, barks and screams, each with its own specific meaning. They are the smartest of the primates. They have been taught to use sign language to communicate words and have even put words together to form simple sentences.