The
Cross River gorilla (
Gorilla gorilla diehli) is a subspecies of the
western gorilla (
Gorilla gorilla). It was named a new species in 1904 by
Paul Matschie, a mammalian taxonomist working at the Humboldt University Zoological Museum in Berlin, but was not systematically surveyed of its populations until 1987. (
Gorilla gorilla diehli) is the most western and northern form of
gorilla, and is restricted to the forested hills and mountains of the Cameroon-Nigeria border region at the headwaters of the
Cross River (Nigeria). It is separated by about 300 km from the nearest population of western lowland gorillas (
Gorilla gorilla gorilla), and by around 250 km from the gorilla population in the Ebo Forest of Cameroon. The most recent surveys suggest that between 200 and 300 Cross River gorillas remain. Groups of these gorillas concentrate their activities in 11 localities across a 12,000 km² range, though recent field surveys confirmed the presence of gorillas outside of their known localities suggesting a wider distribution within this range. This distribution is supported by genetic research, which has found evidence that many Cross River gorilla localities continue to maintain contact through the occasional dispersal of individuals. In 2009, the Cross River gorilla was finally captured on professional video on a forested mountain in
Cameroon.