Giant Panda

10 of the Most Famous Endangered Species

They’re known as “charismatic megafauna” for a reason. These endangered animals ooze star power, a factor that conservationists have capitalized on in order to fund projects to protect them (and, often by default, the other organisms that share their complex ecosystems).

3165 views

3. gorilla (Gorilla beringei and Gorilla gorilla)

A silverback adult male gorilla from Rwanda, Africa holds up a piece of bamboo. (primate; endangered species; mammal; wild animal)
mountain gorilla
Mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei), Virunga Mountains, Rwanda.
Richard Gruggiero/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Depending on who you ask, there are either two species of gorilla, the eastern (Gorilla beringei) and western (Gorilla gorilla), or three subspecies, the eastern lowland, western lowland, and mountain gorillas. Regardless of who you ask, all gorillas are endangered. There are probably only around 220,000 left in the wild. Habitat encroachment and poaching for bushmeat, trophies, and magical talismans have led to substantial losses. Because their social structure is so complex and because they reproduce slowly—with females only giving birth once every four years at best—the removal of even a few individuals from a gorilla troop can catastrophically impact its ability to sustain itself.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.