Sexual dimorphism is most often a product of sexual selection. In many primate species, there is a substantial difference in size between the sexes. In many bird species, for example, this presents as colorful feathers in males and dull feathers in females, like peacocks and peahens. Sexual dimorphism is when there is a substantial difference in appearance between males and females of the same species. Gorillas exhibit a high degree of sexual dimorphism. A gorilla’s weight is therefore equal to over 2,100 pygmy marmosets! Why do gorillas get so big? A male western lowland gorilla.Ī gorilla’s massive size has an evolutionary explanation. A gorilla’s weight is equal to about four mandrills! The smallest species of monkey is the pygmy marmoset, which weighs 3.5 ounces. The male mandrill has a maximum weight of 119 pounds! This is huge amongst monkeys, but relatively small amongst apes. The largest species of monkey is the mandrill. In comparison to monkeys, gorillas are gigantic. Humans, however, are the second heaviest great ape with the average American man weighing 197.9 pounds. Male chimpanzees have an average weight between 88 and 154 pounds, and bonobos on average weigh 99 pounds. Male orangutans are the next heaviest nonhuman ape weighing 165 pounds on average. Gorillas, as the largest living primates, are the largest of the great apes by a substantial margin. Within the order Primates, great apes include gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, and humans. How do gorillas compare to other primates? Cross River Gorilla resting in the shade of trees in the hottest time of the day. Gorillas of all subspecies, however, can weigh substantially more in captivity. As for western gorilla subspecies, the Cross River gorilla and western lowland gorilla typically weigh between 310 and 440 pounds. The other eastern gorilla subspecies, the mountain gorilla, weighs between 265 and 421 pounds. The wild male eastern lowland gorilla typically weighs between 361 and 461 pounds! Gorillas are therefore the largest living primate. The largest gorilla subspecies is the eastern lowland gorilla. What is the largest of gorilla subspecies? An eastern lowland gorilla. Genetic evidence suggests that the western and eastern gorilla species diverged around 261,000 years ago. Mountain gorillas are also popularly known as silverback gorillas. beringei) and the eastern lowland gorilla ( G. The two subspecies of eastern gorilla include the mountain gorilla ( G. The second species of gorilla is the Eastern gorilla, also known as Gorilla beringei. gorilla) and the Cross River gorilla ( G. The species Gorilla gorilla is the Western gorilla and includes two subspecies: the Western lowland gorilla ( G. The genus Gorilla includes two species and four subspecies.

For more on the differences between monkeys and apes click here! Gorillas are apes along with chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, gibbons, and humans. The taxonomic order Primates includes many species of lemurs, lorises, tarsiers, monkeys, and apes that live around the world. Gorillas are primates and are closely related to humans! In fact, gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans diverged from a common ancestor around 7 million years ago. Gorillas are the ultimate combination of brain and brawn! This article will explore the different gorilla subspecies and will reveal the world’s largest gorilla! What is a gorilla? An infant gorilla clings to its mother. These amazing creatures are very closely related to humans and demonstrate a high degree of cognition and sociality. Gorillas are beautiful animals of enormous size! They are easy to recognize as they thump their chests with muscular arms and grin to reveal huge canine teeth.

Silverback ape