[ **up: [[Mammals]]** ] --- # Gorillas --- ## Taxonomy - **[[Life (Biology)]]** - **[[Eukaryotes|Eukaryota (Domain)]]** - **[[Animals|Animalia (Kingdom)]]** - [[Chordates|Chordata (Phylum)]] - [[Mammals|Mammalia (Class)]] - [[Therians|Theria (Subclass)]] - [[Placentals|Eutheria (Infraclass)]] - [[Primates|Primate (Order)]] - [[Haplorhini (Suborder)]] - [[Simians|Simiiformes (Infraorder)]] - [[Old World monkeys|Catarrhini (Parvorder)]] - [[Apes|Hominoidea (Clade)]] - [[Gibbons|Hylobatidae (Family)]] - [[Hominids|Hominidae (Subfamily)]] - *[[Gorillas|Gorilla (Genus)]]* <small>GORILLAS</small> **Species:** > Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus Gorilla is divided into two species: the [[eastern gorilla]] and the [[western gorilla]], and either four or five subspecies.[^1] --- ## Description Gorillas are the largest living [[Primates|primates]].[^2] --- ## Habits > They tend to live in troops, with the leader being called a silverback.[^3] ### Silverbacks Silverback gorillas will take their young into their nest for protection—but are also willing (in very rare cases) to snuff out someone else’s baby as needed.[^4] --- ## Reproduction ### Lactation [[2024-0414. Bonobos and chimpanzees wean their young at around 4–5 years; gorillas around 3–4 years.|Bonobos and chimpanzees wean their young at around 4–5 years; gorillas around 3–4 years.]][^5] [^1]: ‘Gorilla’, *Wikipedia*, updated 19 March 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorilla. [^2]: ‘Gorilla’, *Wikipedia*, updated 19 March 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorilla. [^3]: ‘Gorilla’, *Wikipedia*, updated 19 March 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorilla. [^4]: ‘How does a gorilla father treat his children?’, *Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe e.V.*, retrieved 24 December 2024, https://www.berggorilla.org/en/gorillas/general/social-life/how-does-a-gorilla-father-treat-his-children/. [^5]: M. Papasavrou, et al, ‘[[Papastavrou, et al. ‘Breastfeeding in the Course of History’, 2015.|Breastfeeding in the Course of History]]’, *Journal of Pediatrics & Neonatal Care* 2, issue 6 (8 September 2015), pp. 1–2.