Gorillas
Gorillas are fascinating creatures that share 98.3% of their DNA with humans! They are capable of feeling emotions like we do and even behave like us sometimes – did you know they can laugh?
There are two species, the Eastern Gorilla and the Western Gorilla, and they both have two subspecies. Three out of four are Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The only one that isn’t is the Mountain Gorilla, a subspecies of the Eastern Gorilla, which is considered Endangered.
At the time of writing (June 2020), there are only around 150 to 180 adult Cross River Gorillas left in the wild. Like many endangered animals, their decline is mostly due to poaching, habitat loss, disease, and human conflict. Gorillas are also slow to recover as they have a low reproductive rate, meaning females only give birth every four to six years. One female will breed three or four times in her lifetime.
Rhinos
The name Rhinocerous comes from two Greek words Rhino and Ceros, which when translated into English mean nose horn! It’s a very fitting name, don’t you think? Unfortunately, though, poaching for their distinctive horns is their biggest threat. They are used in Traditional Chinese medicine and displayed as a status symbol and demonstration of wealth. They are so highly prized that a Javan rhino horn can sell for up to $30,000 per kg on the black market.
Because of this, three of the five species of rhinoceros are among the most endangered species in the world: the black rhino, the Javan rhino, and the Sumatran rhino. The Javan rhino is the closest to extinction with only between 46 to 66 individuals left, all of which are in Ujung Kulon National Park in Indonesia.
