TWC

Gorilla Gorilla Diehli

Profile

NAME

CROSS-RIVER-GORILLA

SIZE

125 - 175 cm

SPEED

bis zu 40 km/h

WEIGHT

60 - 275 kg

LIFE SPAN

35-50 years

DIET

Leaves,shoots, pith, bark, fruits

ENEMIES

Leopards, Crocodiles, Homo Sapiens

HABITAT

Africa (Nigeria,Cameroon)

NAME LATIN

Gorilla Gorilla Diehli

ORDER

Primates

FAMILY

Chimpanzee, Orangutan, Bonobo, Homo Sapiens

LIVING SPACE

Rainforest, mountain forest, swamp

FEATURES

Human-like, long arms, short legs, "crown".

POPULATION

250-300

Test your gorilla knowledge

Click arrows below to see the solution. Click sideways for more questions.

Where does the word gorilla come from?
Where does the word gorilla come from?


The word gorilla comes from the Greek and means "tribe of hairy women".
Do gorillas build nests?
Do gorillas build nests?


Gorillas are the largest animals that build nests. Not so much for their offspring, though, because they usually piggyback them. They build nests to create a comfortable place to sleep and rest. They are made of leaves, are built anew every day and usually have a diameter of about one meter.
How dangerous is a gorilla?
How dangerous is a gorilla?


Gorillas are the largest apes in the world.  They are often portrayed as belligerent, but are very peaceful animals. However, they defend themselves against attackers on their family.
What happens when gorillas grow old?
What happens when gorillas grow old?


Then they get a gray back, also called "silverback". The leader of a group is always a silverback and the oldest animal in the group. In the wild, they live to be 35-40 years old.
How big is the eardrum of a gorilla?
How big is the eardrum of a gorilla?


Even though their ears look small: Gorillas have the largest eardrum of any living creature. It measures 97 mm2. In comparison, the eardrum of humans: 62 mm2.
Can gorillas climb?
Can gorillas climb?


Gorillas are skilled climbers, apparently free from giddiness. They climb trees up to a height of 40 m! They do not swing from branch to branch like chimpanzees. They prefer to wedge themselves between branch forks. Mountain gorillas climb the least.
Do gorillas use tools?
Do gorillas use tools?


Gorillas use sticks to find out how deep a body of water is. They use wide pieces of wood to cross swampy terrain safely.
What kind of space do gorillas need?
What kind of space do gorillas need?


In Afi and Kagwene, they move within a radius of 10-30 km2. The wide range of nest sizes is probably due to more flexible group patterns and greater reuse.
What is the size of a gorilla group?
What is the size of a gorilla group?


Group sizes between 4 and 8 are most common. Gorillas live in harems with one male.
How big is the eardrum of a gorilla?
How big is the eardrum of a gorilla?


Even though their ears look small: Gorillas have the largest eardrum of any living creature. It measures 97 mm2. In comparison, the eardrum of humans: 62 mm2.
How dangerous is a gorilla?
How dangerous is a gorilla?


Gorillas are friendlich. They are the largest great apes in the world. They are often portrayed as belligerent, but they are very peaceful animals. However, they defend themselves against attackers on their family.
Can gorillas climb?
Can gorillas climb?


Gorillas are skilled climbers, apparently free from giddiness. They climb trees up to a height of 40 m! They do not swing from branch to branch like chimpanzees. They prefer to wedge themselves between branch forks. Mountain gorillas climb the least.
Where does the word gorilla come from?
Where does the word gorilla come from?


The word gorilla comes from the Greek and means "tribe of hairy women".
Do gorillas build nests?
Do gorillas build nests?


Gorillas are the largest animals that build nests. Not so much for their offspring, though, because they usually piggyback them. They build nests to create a comfortable place to sleep and rest. They are made of leaves, are built anew every day and usually have a diameter of about one meter.
What happens when gorillas grow old?
What happens when gorillas grow old?


Then they get a gray back, also called "silverback". The leader of a group is always a silverback and the oldest animal in the group. In the wild, they live to be 35-40 years old.
Do gorillas use tools?
Do gorillas use tools?


Gorillas use sticks to find out how deep a body of water is. They use wide pieces of wood to cross swampy terrain safely.
What kind of space do gorillas need?
What kind of space do gorillas need?


In Afi and Kagwene, they move within a radius of 10-30 km2. The wide range of nest sizes is probably due to more flexible group patterns and greater reuse.
What is the size of a gorilla group?
What is the size of a gorilla group?


Group sizes between 4 and 8 are most common. Gorillas live in harems with one male.
What kind of space do gorillas need?
What kind of space do gorillas need?


In Afi and Kagwene, they move within a radius of 10-30 km2. The wide range of nest sizes is probably due to more flexible group patterns and greater reuse.
What is the size of a gorilla group?
What is the size of a gorilla group?


Group sizes between 4 and 8 are most common. Gorillas live in harems with one male.
Do gorillas use tools?
Do gorillas use tools?


Gorillas use sticks to find out how deep a body of water is. They use wide pieces of wood to cross swampy terrain safely.
Where does the word gorilla come from?
Where does the word gorilla come from?


The word gorilla comes from the Greek and means "tribe of hairy women".
Do gorillas build nests?
Do gorillas build nests?


Gorillas are the largest animals that build nests. Not so much for their offspring, though, because they usually piggyback them. They build nests to create a comfortable place to sleep and rest. They are made of leaves, are built anew every day and usually have a diameter of about one meter.
How dangerous is a gorilla?
How dangerous is a gorilla?


Gorillas are friendlich. They are the largest great apes in the world. They are often portrayed as belligerent, but they are very peaceful animals. However, they defend themselves against attackers on their family.
What happens when gorillas grow old?
What happens when gorillas grow old?


Then they get a gray back, also called "silverback". The leader of a group is always a silverback and the oldest animal in the group. In the wild, they live to be 35-40 years old.
How big is the eardrum of a gorilla?
How big is the eardrum of a gorilla?


Even though their ears look small: Gorillas have the largest eardrum of any living creature. It measures 97 mm2. In comparison, the eardrum of humans: 62 mm2.
Can gorillas climb?
Can gorillas climb?


Gorillas are skilled climbers, apparently free from giddiness. They climb trees up to a height of 40 m! They do not swing from branch to branch like chimpanzees. They prefer to wedge themselves between branch forks. Mountain gorillas climb the least.

What kind of gorilla is this?

1.
FEATURES

What distinguishes the gorilla?
The Cross River gorilla has a sort of red "crown" on its head. This is due to the neck bulge. There are only two species of gorilla ...

2.
DISTRIBUTION

Where is the Cross-River gorilla found?
This gorilla is found in only two countries on this planet, Cameroon and Nigeria. We have created a map ...

3.
THREATS

What threatens the gorilla?
Habitat loss due to deforestation, collection of forest fruits, settlement construction, agriculture, poaching, fire, epidemics, war ...

How do we save the Cross River gorilla?

1.
WHERE

Where do we protect?
Takamanda National Park is located on the border with Nigeria and Cameroon. It was established in 2008 to protect the Cross River Gorilla...

2.
OUR PLAN

How do you save a species?
It is crucial to know exactly where the gorillas are located. Due to the political situation in Cameroon, many parks no longer have up-to-date data ...

3.
HOW

What is a holistic approach?
We have developed a concept of how all our projects add up to more than the sum of their parts. This allows us to do more with less ...

Where do we protect the Cross-River Gorilla?

TNP

We focus on the population of the Takamanda National Park. It was established in 2008 to protect the extinct gorillas on the border between Nigeria and Cameroon and it is a true biodiversity hotspot. In addition to the primates, reptiles such as the swamp crocodile and the jointed turtle are among hundreds of different species, and the many rare bird species arouse the interest of the IBA as an Important Bird Area.Since humans pose the greatest threat, all locally active organizations have agreed that humans are the greatest threat and adoped an action plan since 2007.

The gorillas' former problems of poaching and deforestation have changed since the civil war broke out in 2017: today they live in the middle of a combat zone between the military and freedom fighters campaigning for an independent, English-speaking Western Cameroon. Not only do humans and animals now compete for the forests' food supply. Every day there are now battles in their 676 km² protected area, the gunfire frightens and drives away the sensitive animals.

The wildlife of our planet is in danger. Join us in protecting gorillas, chimpanzees and forest elephants. Find out what your donation does on the ground!