mountain gorilla

American  

[moun-tn guh-ril-uh] / ˈmaʊn tn gəˈrɪl ə /

noun

1. a bluish-black gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei ), a subspecies of the eastern gorilla, surviving in two small populations in national parks that cover mountainous regions of Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda: a victim of illegal hunting, habitat destruction, and civil unrest, it is listed as critically endangered.

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Etymology

Origin of mountain gorilla

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Twin births are thought to account for about 1% of all mountain gorilla births, though exact data is not widely available.

From BBC • Jan. 7, 2026

In 1978, at the tender age of 4, a mountain gorilla named Titus living in East Africa’s Virunga Mountains experienced a series of unthinkable tragedies.

From Science Magazine • May 15, 2023

But “we have shown that human communities surrounding mountain gorilla habitat have antibodies against Ebola virus, showing that the virus is in the region and, therefore, we must remain vigilant,” Evans adds.

From Washington Post • Mar. 25, 2023

“It’s similar to that of the mountain gorilla, which is an endangered species,” Dr. Skov said.

From New York Times • Oct. 19, 2022

So I thought about that one: After I decided to go to Reardan, I felt like an invisible mountain gorilla scientist.

From "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie