Why are mountain gorillas a critical species to protect? Well, gorillas are important globally because they are our closest living relatives, sharing 98.3% DNA with humans. Also, they create biodiversity, which is done by spreading the seeds from the fruit they eat. This is possible because by not chewing the seeds in their fruit, the seeds pass right through the digestive tract. Whenever gorillas “do their business”, another seed gets planted and fertilized! Gorillas also help biodiversity by eating leaves and opening up gaps in the trees as they tromp around, letting the sunlight shine through and rain reach the forest floor. In addition, when the rainforests they live in are healthy, moisture in their habitat is evaporated and, through the water cycle, becomes the rain we desperately need around the world. Because gorillas help forests thrive, trees are able to take in carbon dioxide (CO2) and give out oxygen (O2). Some people even call the forests they live in “Earth’s living lungs.” Clearly, mountain gorillas really do matter to all creatures, all over the world. So why would we put these animals in danger?