Panda géant vs Gorille de l'Ouest

Ailuropoda melanoleuca compared with Gorilla gorilla

Key Differences

• Panda géant is Vulnerable while Gorille de l'Ouest is Critically Endangered.
• Gorille de l'Ouest is 1.6x heavier than Panda géant.
• Gorille de l'Ouest lives longer (40 years vs 20 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Panda géant	Gorille de l'Ouest
Kingdom same	Animalia (animal)	Animalia (animal)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (mammifères)	Mammalia (mammifères)
Order	Carnivora (carnivores)	Primates (Primates)
Family	Ursidae (Bears)	Hominidae (Great Apes)
Genus	Ailuropoda (Giant Pandas)	Gorilla (Gorillas)
Species	Ailuropoda melanoleuca	Gorilla gorilla

Evolutionary Relationship

Panda géant and Gorille de l'Ouest share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (mammifères)

Conservation Status

Panda géant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~1.9K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Gorille de l'Ouest

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Panda géant	Gorille de l'Ouest
Diet	Herbivore	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	20 years	40 years
Average Length	1.5 m	1.7 m
Average Weight	100.0 kg	160.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Panda géant

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, temperate coniferous forests, and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, among 7 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found in China. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Gorille de l'Ouest

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 4 distinct biome types within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Cameroon, Congo (Republic), Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Panda géant

Iconic black-and-white bear of the mountain bamboo forests of central China, giant pandas can weigh up to 125 kg and spend up to 14 hours daily consuming bamboo, which comprises 99% of their diet despite belonging to the order Carnivora. Solitary and elusive, they have a pseudo-thumb for gripping bamboo stems. Downgraded from Endangered to Vulnerable in 2016 following successful conservation and breeding programs.

Gorille de l'Ouest

The world's largest primate, western gorillas weigh up to 180 kg and inhabit the tropical and subtropical forests of equatorial Africa. Primarily herbivorous, living in family groups led by a silverback male who protects the troop and mediates social conflicts. Critically Endangered, with populations threatened by deforestation, poaching for bushmeat, and outbreaks of Ebola virus disease.