What is the largest living primate found in African forests and safari regions?

The eastern gorilla is the largest living primate found in African forests and safari regions.

Eastern gorillas include the eastern lowland gorilla and the mountain gorilla. Adult males are much larger than females and may weigh well over 100 kilograms, with mountain gorilla males sometimes exceeding 180 kilograms in the wild. Their size makes them the heaviest living primates.

Despite their imposing appearance, gorillas are mainly herbivorous. They eat leaves, stems, shoots, roots and fruit when available. They live in cohesive family groups led by a dominant silverback, an adult male with a distinctive band of silver hair across the back.

The eastern gorilla is not the same as the western gorilla. The two are separate species, and the eastern species includes the critically endangered mountain gorilla. Gorilla tourism is carefully regulated in several countries to reduce stress, disease transmission and habitat pressure.