Their hands are proportionately large with nails on all digits (similar to those of humans) and very large thumbs. This coloration is the reason why older males are known as 'silverbacks'. The hair on the back and rump of males takes on a grey coloration and is also lost as they get older. They possess no tails and have jet black skin along with coarse black hair that covers their entire body except for the face, ears, hands and feet. This species of gorillas exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism. The western lowland gorilla is the smallest subspecies of gorilla but still has exceptional size and strength. Description Close-up of male silverback's head at the Leipzig Zoo in Leipzig city, Germany Skull of a male subject
The western lowland gorilla is the only subspecies kept in zoos with the exception of Amahoro, a female eastern lowland gorilla at Antwerp Zoo, and a few mountain gorillas kept captive in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the nominate subspecies of the western gorilla, and the smallest of the four gorilla subspecies. The western lowland gorilla ( Gorilla gorilla gorilla) is one of two Critically Endangered subspecies of the western gorilla ( Gorilla gorilla) that lives in montane, primary and secondary forest and lowland swampland in central Africa in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.
