# Western gorilla (*Gorilla gorilla*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/western-gorilla  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla), also called the gorilla or lowland gorilla, is a mammal in the order Primates and the family Hominidae. It is a large, terrestrial and diurnal herbivore, with a representative adult body mass of 131.6 kg and reported values from 126.2 to 134 kg. Gestation lasts 257 days, litters have 1 young, there are 0.3 litters per year, and sexual maturity is reached at 9.4 years. The IUCN Red List classifies the western gorilla as Critically Endangered, a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 126.2 kg – 134 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 50.2 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 55.4 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 257 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1.01 |
| Age at maturity | 7.75 years – 11 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 0.3 |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Critically Endangered (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Primates
- family: Hominidae
- genus: Gorilla
- species: *Gorilla gorilla* (Savage & Wyman, 1847)

Synonyms: *Troglodytes gorilla*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the western gorilla?

The western gorilla is a mammal in the order Primates and the family Hominidae, subfamily Homininae.

### How heavy is a western gorilla?

An adult Western gorilla has a representative body mass of 131.6 kg, with reported values from 126.2 to 134 kg.

### What does the western gorilla eat?

The western gorilla is a herbivore.

### Is the western gorilla endangered?

Yes. The IUCN Red List classifies the western gorilla as Critically Endangered, a threatened category.

### How long does a western gorilla live?

The western gorilla has a lifespan of 50.2 years, with reported values up to 55.4 years.

### How many young does a western gorilla have?

A western gorilla has 1 young per litter, with 0.3 litters per year, after a gestation period of 257 days.

### When does a western gorilla reach sexual maturity?

A western gorilla reaches sexual maturity at 9.4 years, with reported values from 7.7 to 11.0 years.

### Who named the western gorilla?

The scientific name Gorilla gorilla is credited to (Savage & Wyman, 1847).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/western-gorilla