Eastern gorilla
The eastern gorilla ("Gorilla beringei") is a critically endangered species of the genus "Gorilla" and the largest living primate. At present, the species is subdivided into two subspecies. Grauer's gorilla, formerly known as the eastern lowland gorilla ("G. b. graueri") is more populous, at about 3,800 individuals. The mountain gorilla ("G. b. beringei") has only about 1000 individuals. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature mentioned illegal hunting in its assessment of threats to the species.
Largest organisms
The largest living amphibian is the Chinese giant salamander ("Andrias davidianus"). The maximum size of this nearly human-sized river-dweller is and almost . Before amniotes became the dominant tetrapods, several giant amphibian proto-tetrapods existed and were certainly the dominant animals in their ecosystems. The largest known was the crocodile-like "Prionosuchus", which reached a length of .
The largest known species of sea sponge is the giant barrel sponge, "Xestospongia muta". These massively built sponges can reach in height and can be of about the same number of feet across at the thickest part of the "body". Some of these creatures have been estimated to be over 2,400 years of age.