SPECIES OF THE MONTH: OCTOBER 2016

Phylum  : Chordata
Clade     : Synapsida
Class      : Mammalia
Order     : Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Family    : Hominidae
Genus     : Gorilla
Species   : Gorilla beringei graueri

Grauer's gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri), a subspecies of eastern gorilla, the world's largest ape, and confined to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The announcement was made at the IUCN World Conservation Congress currently underway in Hawaii.

The IUCN Red List classifies species of the world and documents the threats they are facing. It is recognized as the global standard on the conservation status of species. Critically Endangered status means that a species is considered to be facing an extremely high risk of extinction.

Link: http://www.iucnredlist.org

The new designation follows a report earlier this year released by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Fauna & Flora International (FFI) that showed a shocking collapse of Grauer's gorilla numbers due to illegal hunting and civil unrest. Few Grauer's gorillas exist in captivity and if this ape becomes extinct in the wild it will be effectively lost forever. 

This listing also means that the two gorilla species (eastern and western gorillas) and four gorilla subspecies (two for each species) are all Critically Endangered. These apes are therefore declining very rapidly across their range. Only one site, the highland sector of Kahuzi-Biega National Park, has shown an increase over the past 15 years where resources have been invested to protect these apes from hunting.