Eastern gorilla  (Gorilla beringei)

The best known of the eastern gorillas, the mountain gorilla, is found in two isolated populations. One is in the Virunga Volcanoes region, situated on the borders of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The other occurs in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in southwestern Uganda (1). The Virunga population was estimated to comprise 380 individuals in 2003, while there were estimated to be just 300 individuals in the Bwindi population in 2006 (1). The eastern lowland or Grauer's gorilla (G. b. graueri) is found only in eastern DRC, and is significantly more abundant than the mountain gorilla (1).

The eastern gorilla inhabits tropical forest. Mountain gorillas are found at altitudes between 1,160 and 4,100 metres while eastern lowland gorillas occur between 600 and 2,900 metres above sea level (5).