Cross River gorillas (Gorilla gorilla diehli)
This is the first-ever image of a group of Cross River gorillas. These big guys are critically endangered with estimates of only 200 to 300 left in the wild. As people clear forests of Cameroon and Nigeria for agriculture and livestock, they destroy the critical habitat they need. Some people have also poached the animals, but Nigeria hasn’t reported any Cross River gorillas killed since 2012. The country also hasn’t recorded any sightings of the gorillas since then either. However, new photos—taken only last month—signal that the species is successfully reproducing. Yay!
