It was named a new species in 1904 by Paul Matschie, a mammalian taxonomist working at the Humboldt University Zoological Museum in Berlin, but its populations were not systematically surveyed until 1987.

[3][4] It 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.

Estimates from 2014 suggest that fewer than 250 mature Cross River gorillas remain, making them the world's rarest great ape.

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.

A great deal of data were collected, and things such as habitat types and topography mapped using line transects, climate, spatial and temporal availability of tree and herb foods and also the Cross River gorilla's wide range behavior, diet, and its grouping patterns.

As a result of deforestation and fragmentation, there are drastic reductions in carrying capacity, in other words, the size of the territories these animals inhabit has been significantly reduced.

Because the population of humans living in this area is high, the amount of resources available to the Cross River gorillas is limited.

Even though this decrease in the availability of land may appear to be a problem, research studies have found that an adequate amount of rainforest still remains that is suitable and comfortable for this subspecies.

Additional examples of human activity that threaten Cross River gorillas and, of course, other species, are hunting, logging, agriculture, fuel wood harvesting, clearance of lands for plantation and exploitation of natural resources.

[14] The Cross River gorilla is not only a critically endangered subspecies, as labeled by the IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, but is under studied.

[22] The Cross River gorilla's diet consists largely of fruit, herbaceous vegetation, liana, and tree bark.

[3] Observations of the gorilla indicate that it seems to prefer fruit, but will settle for other sources of nutrition during the dry season of about 4–5 months in northern regions.

[23] Cross River gorillas eat more liana and tree bark throughout the year, and less fruit during dry periods of scarcity.

Many of the Cross River gorilla food sources are very seasonal and thus their diets are filled with very dense, nutritious vegetation that is usually found near their nesting sites.

This distribution is corroborated by genetic research, which has found evidence that many Cross River gorilla localities continue to maintain contact through the occasional dispersal of individuals.

[6] Cross River gorillas have been known to cling to the Afi-to-Kagwene landscape because of its rugged terrain and high altitude which keeps it secluded from human interference.

[3] However, a study conducted in 2013 found that Cross River gorillas also inhabit areas lower in altitude such as the Mawambi Hills.

They occupy roughly 14 apparently geographically separated areas in a landscape of approximately 12,000 km2 (4,600 sq mi) of rugged terrain spanning the Nigeria–Cameroon border region with population sizes estimated at 75–110 in Nigeria, and 125–185 in Cameroon.

A planned superhighway to the west of Ekuri community forest was rerouted in 2017, as the highway and its buffer zone would have had a significant impact on the remaining habitat.

A study conducted by researchers found that gene flow accompanied the divergence of western lowland and Cross River gorillas until just 400 or so years ago, which rather supports a scenario in which intensifying human activities may have increased the isolation of these ape populations.

The laws are rarely effectively enforced, and due to state of the Cross River gorillas, any hunting has a large impact on the population and their survival.

Spatial scale coarse models fail to explain why the gorillas display a highly fragmented distribution within what appears to be a large, continuous area of suitable habitat.

More specifically, certain loci within the genome were of major concern and they helped give the best insight into the subdivisions and dispersal of genetic variation across populations.

On top of this fragmentation, the Cross River gorilla is also threatened by hunting for bushmeat and for use of their bones for pseudoscientific medical purposes.

[16] For example, the exploitation of some primate species in Africa is prohibited because certain local communities embellished them with ritual meanings, and sometimes regarded them as totems, and also used them as tests for medicine.

[1] However, according to a 2012 survey conducted by Conservation International, the Cross River gorilla did not make "The World’s 25 Most Endangered Primates List".

Also, the protected habitats of Cross River gorillas along the Nigeria-Cameroon border are close to hunting regions, which increases the threat of extinction.

The Cross River gorilla is especially significant to the ecosystem because they are excellent seed dispersers for certain tropical plant species that would otherwise face extinction.

The recurrent revival of these beliefs and practices are seen was a way to reinforce the conservation of these species, especially in the absence of real law enforcement due to a lack of governance.

[41] The hope is that the gorillas should be able to move between the Takamanda reserve in Cameroon over the border to Nigeria's Cross River National Park.