Mountain Gorillas Gorillas are apes and, since apes are man's closest relatives, they hold a very special fascination for us as humans. Animals have existed on earth for around 600 million years followed by mammals some 200 million years ago, and finally the first primates about 70 million years ago. When it comes to Homo sapiens, or modern day humans we are just a blink of an eye in evolutionary time, since we have remained unchanged for about 50,000 …showed first 75 words of 745 total…

…showed last 75 words of 745 total…gorillas as mentioned earlier is evident in research that has been conducted providing evidence that mountain gorillas were able to communicate with humans through sign language. Ultimately, the mountain gorilla is a fascinating and truly extraordinary creature. However it is extremely endangered numbering only around 500-1500. Although conservation efforts are increasing, deforestation and human encroachment continue to decimate our only evolutionary relative, and only time will tell whether or not the few remaining will survive.