A large, arboreal, anthropoid ape of West Africa. It is larger than a man, and is remarkable for its massive skeleton and powerful muscles, which give it enormous strength. In some respects its anatomy, more than that of any other ape, except the chimpanzee, resembles that of man.

largest anthropoid ape; terrestrial and vegetarian; of forests of central west Africa

an ape, not a monkey

Gorillas are large primates from Africa. They are endangered.

The gorilla, the largest of the living primates, is a ground-dwelling omnivore that inhabits the forests of Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and (under debate as of 2006) either four or five subspecies. Its DNA is 97%-98% identical to that of a human,In a talk presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association on November 20, 1999, Jonathan Marks stated: "Humans, chimpanzees, and gorillas are within two percentage points of one another genetically." and is the next closest living relative to humans after the two chimpanzee species.