Approximately when did the ancestors of Eastern (*G. beringei*) and Western (*G. gorilla*) gorillas split?
Answer
Approximately 1.7 to 2 million years ago
While the separation from the human lineage happened deep in the past, the evolutionary split that divided the ancestors of the two major gorilla groups—Eastern and Western—happened much more recently. Genetic analysis pins this crucial divergence event between *Gorilla beringei* and *Gorilla gorilla* ancestors to a timeframe between 1.7 and 2 million years ago. This date is significant because it postdates the initial separation from the human and chimpanzee lineages, demonstrating a complex, multi-staged evolutionary history for the genus Gorilla.
Related Questions
When did the Western Gorilla lineage diverge from the lineage leading to humans?Approximately when did the ancestors of Eastern (*G. beringei*) and Western (*G. gorilla*) gorillas split?Which two recognized subspecies comprise the Western Gorilla species (*Gorilla gorilla*)?What is the estimated divergence time between ancestors of the Cross River and Western Lowland Gorillas?What geographic feature acted as a barrier separating the Cross River Gorillas from the Lowland cousins?What complex genetic process occurred between diverging Eastern and Western gorilla populations before their final separation?What major environmental shifts are identified as sculptors of gorilla evolutionary history?How are typical gorilla societies structured around dominant males, according to social evolution insights?What conservation implication arises from the deep genetic separation of the Cross River Gorilla (*G. b. diehli*)?What genetic event affecting effective population size occurred prior to the split of Western and Eastern lineages?