It has been brought to my attention that I
have yet to blog about any Gibbon (family
Hylobatidae) species since the NEPS
blog's inception.
I owe much to Gibbons. They were the first
primates that I was able to work with and,
in turn, sparked the fire for my passion for
primates and drive to fight for their
conservation.
This month I am going to give a brief
overview of the Gibbons, and focus later on
different species ... so stay tuned.
Gibbons are known as the ‘lesser apes’. This,
of course, has nothing to do with their
importance, but is a reflection of their
small size compared to the other ‘great’
apes. Although small in size, Gibbons are
notorious for their larger than life singing
that can be heard from over a mile away in
the dense forest.
Click on the ARKive thumbnail above to
see and hear gibbons calling.
But come back when your done!
Use your Back
arrow to return to this blog.
Gibbons are found throughout Asia in
countries including: Burma, Cambodia, China,
Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Thailand, and
Viet Nam.
In the World Map above, Southeast Asia
(circled) is
home to Gibbons
Credit:
Debra Curtin
This map of Southeast Asia illustrates the
distribution of the four gibbon genera
Credit:
Geissmann, 1995).
These magnificent apes exhibit highly social
behavior and live in small familial groups
comprising of a male, female and their
young.
Gibbons are ‘the masters’ of
brachiation,
and they have been observed to swing from
branch to branch at heights of up to 50 feet
at speeds of 35 miles per hour. This makes
Gibbons the fastest most nimble
tree-dwelling mammal in the world!
Click on the ARKive thumbnail above to
see gibbons brachiating in the canopy.
But come back when your done!
Use your Back arrow to return to this blog
Like much of Asia’s wildlife, many Gibbons
are at risk of extinction. In the
blogs to follow we will discuss more species
in detail and some of the most serious
threats that these animals face today.
What does that mean?
Brachiation -
brachium (Latin for: arm) is a form of
locomotion, where one swings from arm to
arm.
Extinction - Defined as the ending of
existence of a species. In relation to the
IUCN Red List, the classification of
Extinct is defined as no longer existing in
the wild.
What you can do?
-
I’ve given you a brief on Gibbons; find out
more on this amazing family of primates.
Can you learn about 5 species before my next
blog…?
-
It is not cool to take your picture with
primates in the exotic pet/ tourism trades. Say no
to photos and tell your friends.
-
Share what you learned here with a friend.
Check out some of the in-situ Gibbon rescue
projects that I have visited:
