how many types of gibbons are there

What are the different types of gibbon species?

Gibbon species include the siamang, the white-handed or lar gibbon, and the hoolock gibbons.

What are some interesting facts about Gibbons?

Incredible Gibbon Facts! Depending on gender and species, gibbons weigh 6-9kg. Gibbons have extra-long arms and powerful legs for swinging and leaping from tree to tree The scientific name for gibbon is Hylobatidae. The Hylobatidae ape family contains the genera Hylobates, Hoolock, Nomascus, and Symphalangus.

What is the average size of a gibbon?

Gibbons (family Hylobatidae). Edmund Appel/Photo Researchers, Inc. Most gibbon species are about 40–65 cm (16–26 inches) in head and body length, but the siamang ( Symphalangus syndactylus) can grow up to 90 cm (35 inches).

How many chromosomes does a gibbon have?

A fully mature male has black fur with white eyebrows & goatee as well as a white testicle tuft. This species has 44 chromosomes. Their vocalization is produced with in-breath and out-breath tones. The female’s great call is one of the most spectacular vocalizations of all the gibbon species.

How many gibbons species are there?

20 speciesKnown for their vigorous vocal displays, gibbons are unique small apes, with 20 species, all of them endemic to South and Southeast Asia.

What classification are gibbons?

MammalGibbon / ClassTaxonomy of Gibbon Animals The phylum of the gibbon ape is Chordata. Gibbons belong to the class Mammalia. Their order is Primates and the suborder is Haplorhini. Their infraorder is Simiiformes.

What is the rarest gibbon?

The Hainan gibbonThe Hainan gibbon is the world's rarest ape, rarest primate, and probably rarest mammal species.

What is the smallest gibbon?

Gibbons belong to the Hylobatidae family that comprises 4 subfamilies and 17 species.Hoolock gibbons are the second tallest gibbons. ... Hylobates or dwarf gibbons are the smallest gibbons. ... Nomascus gibbons are also called crested gibbons because of their distinctive hair. ... Symphalangus or Siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus)More items...

What is the largest gibbon?

Symphalangus syndactylus is the largest of the gibbons, weighing between 10 and 12 kg. The head-body length ranges from 71 to 90 cm. They have a thick, black fur coat and long, slender arms. The arm length may attain 2.3 to 2.6 times the body length.

Are gibbons aggressive?

Are gibbons dangerous? Gibbons normally do not pose a threat to humans. Like any animal in the wild, however, they become aggressive when they believe their family or their territory is in danger. They use their booming voices to warn off intruders.

What is the world's rarest animal?

the vaquitaThe rarest animal in the world is the vaquita (Phocoena sinus). It is a kind of critically endangered porpoise that only lives in the furthest north-western corner of the Gulf of California in Mexico.

What is the most rare monkey in the world?

Hainan gibbonDid you know that the world's rarest primate is actually a gibbon? The Hainan gibbon (Nomascus hainanus) is critically endangered. In fact, this ape is found only in the Bawangling Nature Reserve on Hainan Island, China, located in the South China Sea. There are fewer than 30 individuals left alive.

What is the most endangered animal in the world?

10 of the world's most endangered animalsJavan Rhinos. ... Amur Leopard. ... Sunda Island Tiger. ... Mountain Gorillas. ... Tapanuli Orangutan. ... Yangtze Finless Porpoise. ... Black Rhinos. ... African Forest Elephant.More items...

Do gibbons bite?

Physical Risks- The White-Handed Gibbon has very long sharp canines and has the ability to cause serious bite wounds to keepers. They also have extra long strong arms and can grab and scratch keepers in quick movements as they are agile.

Are gibbons intelligent?

Just like great apes, gibbons are also very intelligent and all of the primates here at Nashville Zoo participate in a voluntary operant conditioning training programs where they learn many behaviors that help keepers with the daily care of the gibbons. Gibbons have a unique form of locomotion called brachiation.

Do gibbons ever fall?

Gibbons sometimes have accidental falls if a branch breaks and they do suffer from bone fractures in the wild. They sleep sitting up in trees with bent knees and faces buried between the knees and chest. Gibbons are bipedal and walk across tree limbs on two feet.

What family is Gibbons in?

This article is about a family of apes. For other uses, see Gibbon (disambiguation). Gibbons ( / ˈɡɪbənz /) are apes in the family Hylobatidae ( / ˌhaɪləˈbætɪdiː / ). The family historically contained one genus, but now is split into four extant genera and 18 species.

What is the color of a gibbon?

Depending on the species and sex, gibbons' fur coloration varies from dark to light brown sha des, and any shade between black and white, though a completely "white" gibbon is rare.

How fast do gibbons move?

Their primary mode of locomotion, brachiation, involves swinging from branch to branch for distances up to 15 m (50 ft), at speeds as high as 55 km/h (34 mph).

How are gibbons identified?

Many gibbons are hard to identify based on fur coloration, so are identified either by song or genetics. These morphological ambiguities have led to hybrids in zoos. Zoos often receive gibbons of unknown origin, so they rely on morphological variation or labels that are impossible to verify to assign species and subspecies names, so separate species of gibbons commonly are misidentified and housed together. Interspecific hybrids, hybrids within a genus, are also suspected to occur in wild gibbons where their ranges overlap. However, no records exist of fertile hybrids between different gibbon genera, either in the wild or in captivity.

What is the vocal element of a gibbon?

They are strongly territorial, and defend their boundaries with vigorous visual and vocal displays. The vocal element, which can often be heard for distances up to 1 km (0.6 mi), consists of a duet between a mated pair, with their young sometimes joining in.

How many genera are there in the Bunopithecus family?

Taxonomy. The family is divided into four genera based on their diploid chromosome number: Hylobates (44), Hoolock (38), Nomascus (52), and Symphalangus (50). There is an extinct fifth genus named Bunopithecus which is either a gibbon or gibbon-like ape.

How long ago did gibbons diverge?

Whole genome molecular dating analyses indicate that the gibbon lineage diverged from that of great apes around 16.8 million years ago (Mya) (95% confidence interval: 15.9–17.6 Mya; given a divergence of 29 Mya from Old World monkeys ). Adaptive divergence associated with chromosomal rearrangements led to rapid radiation of the four genera 5–7 Mya. Each genus comprises a distinct, well-delineated lineage, but the sequence and timing of divergences among these genera has been hard to resolve, even with whole genome data, due to radiative speciations and extensive incomplete lineage sorting. An analysis based on morphology suggests that the four genera are ordered as ( Symphalangus, ( Nomascus, ( Hoolock, Hylobates ))).

How big is a Gibbon?

Up to 25 years. Size: 17 to 25 inches. Weight: 9 to 29 pounds. Size relative to a 6-ft man: Gibbons are the animals we think of when we picture primates swinging gracefully through the rain forest.

What is a Gibbon?

Gibbons are monogamous (a rare trait among primates) and live in family groups consisting of an adult pair and their young offspring. The family will stake out a territory and defend it using loud, haunting calls that can echo for miles throughout the forest.

How do gibbons walk?

When gibbons walk, whether along branches or in the rare instances when they descend to the ground, they often do so on two feet, throwing their arms above their head for balance. They are the most bipedal of all non-human primates and are often studied for clues to what evolutionary pressures may have led to human walking.

How fast can a gibbon swing?

Their dramatic form of locomotion, called brachiating, can move gibbons through the jungle at up to 35 miles an hour, bridging gaps as wide as 50 feet with a single swinging leap.

Where do gibbons live?

Different Gibbon Species. There are over a dozen recognized species of gibbons ranging from northeastern India to southern China to Borneo. They are all tailless, and their long coats vary from cream to brown to black. Many have white markings on their faces, hands, and feet.

Is the gibbon endangered?

Their habitat is disappearing at a rapid rate, and they are often captured and sold as pets or killed for use in traditional medicines. Many species of gibbon are listed as endangered or critically endangered.

How big is a gibbon?

Test your knowledge of mammals by taking this quiz. Most gibbon species are about 40–65 cm (16–26 inches) in head and body length, but the siamang ( Symphalangus syndactylus) can grow up to 90 cm (35 inches). The smaller species (both sexes) weigh about 5.5 kg (12 pounds); others, such the concolor gibbon, weigh about 7.5 kg (17 pounds).

What are gibbons like?

Gibbons, like the great apes (gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees, and bonobos), have a humanlike build and no tail, but gibbons seem to lack higher cognitive abilities and self-awareness. They also differ from great apes in having longer arms, dense hair, and a throat sac used for amplifying sound. Gibbon voices are loud, are musical in tone, ...

Where do hoolock gibbons live?

syndactylus) inhabits the forests of Sumatra and Malaya. The hoolock gibbon ( Hoolock hoolock) is found from Myanmar west of the Salween River into Assam, India, and Bangladesh.

What is the Gibbon voice?

Gibbon voices are loud, are musical in tone, and carry over long distances. The most characteristic vocalization is the “ great call,” usually a duet in which the female leads and the male joins in with less-complex notes, used as a territorial marker by both sexes.

How long does it take for a gibbon to mature?

Single offspring are born after about seven months’ gestation and take seven years to mature. gibbons (family Hylobatidae) Gibbons differ from great apes in a number of physical ways.

How do gibbons move?

Gibbons are arboreal and move from branch to branch with speed and great agility by swinging from their arms ( brachiating ). On the ground, gibbons walk erect with the arms held aloft or behind. They are active during the day and live in small monogamous groups that defend territories in the treetops. They feed mainly on fruit, with varying proportions of leaves and with some insects and bird eggs as well as young birds. Single offspring are born after about seven months’ gestation and take seven years to mature.

Where do white cheeked gibbons come from?

Chinese white-cheeked gibbons ( Nomascus leucogenys) Chinese white-cheeked gibbons ( Nomascus leucogenys) are native to Southeast Asia. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Gibbons are arboreal and move from branch to branch with speed and great agility by swinging from their arms ( brachiating ).

How many gibbons are left?

The gibbons are also highly susceptible to poaching activities. Thus, the species is labeled as ‘critically endangered’ by the IUCN and has only about 1300 to 2000 individuals left in the wild. 3. Hainan Gibbon.

Where are the most endangered gibbons?

The four most threatened or critically endangered gibbon species are mentioned below. 4. Black Crested Gibbon. The four subspecies of Nomascus concolor are found in parts of Southeast Asia where they are geographically isolated. The range of the species includes China, Vietnam, and Laos with the distribution of the species being discontinuous in ...

How high above sea level are black crested gibbons?

The altitudinal range of the species varies between 2100 and 2400 m above sea level. Since deforestation is widespread in Southeast Asia, the habitat of the black crested gibbon is currently reduced to small patches of forests. The gibbons are also highly susceptible to poaching activities. Thus, the species is labeled as ‘critically endangered’ by ...

Where do the Hainan gibbons live?

The species inhabits broad-leaved and semideciduous monsoon forests on the island. Currently, the species is struggling to survive. Although the historical range of the Hainan gibbon included nearly half of China, the range is now highly restricted to only small parts of the Hainan Island.

Why are gibbons declining?

The species has suffered from massive deforestation in its range. Large parts of the primary forests have been converted to agricultural lands and the remaining parts have been used for the extraction of timber and fuel-wood. Hunting of the gibbon for food and traditional medicine preparation is also another major cause of the decline ...

Where do white cheeked gibbons live?

The gibbons are a group of apes belonging to the Hylobatidae family and include four genera with 18 species. The gibbons occur in the Asian continent where their range spreads across parts of South and Southeast Asia.

What are the causes of the sad state of gibbons?

Poaching, logging, illegal pulp paper plantations, etc., are responsible for the sad state of these gibbons. Traditional Chinese medicines promote the use of gibbon bones. 2. Eastern Black-crested Gibbon. The Nomascus leucogenys is a critically endangered species occurring in Southeast Asia.

What are gibbons' characteristics?

However, they do share a number of characteristics. All species have long arms, which they use to swing from branch to branch. Like all apes, gibbons do not have the prehensile tails that monkeys have. Their fur varies in color, and is usually black, gray, or brown, though some species are cream colored.

Where do gibbons live?

Species in the same genus generally live closer to one another geographically. Gibbons live in southern China, Bangladesh, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

What is the name of the gibbon that has silver tipped fur?

They inflate their gular sacs to make incredibly loud vocalizations. The IUCN lists this species as Endangered. Silvery Gibbon – This species has silver tipped fur, which is where it gets its name. Like many species, the IUCN lists this gibbon as Endangered.

Why are gibbons important?

Gibbons in zoos and rehabilitation centers are important for the survival of the species. Every gibbon that doesn’t live in the wild resides on a Species Survival Plan (SSP). Those working in the SSP choose gibbons who are not closely related to one-another for breeding.

How long does it take for a gibbon to reproduce?

The female usually gives birth to a single baby, and has a gestation period of approximately seven months. Baby gibbons rely very heavily on their mothers, and she cares for her young until it is about a year old.

How long do baby gibbons stay with their parents?

After this, the young gibbons gain more independence, but usually stay with their parents until they are about six years old.

What happens when you cut down a gibbon?

When people cut down those forests, the gibbons that lived in them must relocate or perish. Sadly, humans also capture gibbons for the pet trade, and use them in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

How many species of gibbons are there?

There are 18 distinct species of this arboreal, or tree-dwelling, mammal, including white-handed, slamang, and lar gibbons. The majority of gibbon species are endangered, and some are critically endangered.

Where are gibbons found?

A gray female gibbon at the Assiniboine Zoo in Winnipeg lived to be 50 years old. Now, the zoo is home to a family of white-handed gibbons. Many other zoos throughout Canada have gibbons too. In fact, zoos throughout the world have different gibbon species.

What is the name of the ape with two toes on each foot?

The hands and feet of these lesser apes are elongated. Each hand has a deep cleft that helps them grip strongly onto branches. The siamang gibbon, which is among the largest types of these apes, has two toes on each foot that are permanently fused together.

What is the song of a gibbon called?

They use sound to locate other gibbons, warn away intruders and woo their mates. The wooing song, often a duet with the intended mate, is known as the great call.

How much does a gibbon weigh?

Depending on gender and species, gibbons weigh 6-9kg.

What is the scientific name of a gibbon?

The scientific name for gibbon is Hylobatidae. The Hylobatida e ape family contains the genera Hylobates, Hoolock, Nomascus, and Symphalangus.

How tall are gibbons?

Their height ranges from 15 to 36 inches (40 to 90 cm), depending on their species. The largest gibbons, the siamang, are about half the height of their human counterparts. All species have small heads and smooth, apelike faces framed with fur. Just like the great apes and unlike monkeys, they do not have tails.

How many gibbon species are there?

There are more than a dozen recognized species of gibbons, divided into four genera: Hoolock (hoolock gibbons), Hylobates (hylobates), Symphalangus (siamangs) and Nomascus (crested gibbons). Siamangs are the largest gibbon species, with adults typically weighing between 23 and 30 pounds. Visitors to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo can see siamangs at the Gibbon Ridge Exhibit.

What is the largest gibbon?

Siamangs, the largest gibbons, have throat pouches that inflate to amplify their calls. Their throat sacs can expand to about the size of a grapefruit! Listen to their calls:

Do gibbons have tails?

Gibbons do not have visible, external tails. One way to spot the difference between a monkey and an ape is to look for a tail. Most monkeys have visible tails, while apes do not. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule — such as the Sulawesi macaque, a monkey that has only a hidden, vestigial tail.

How long are a gibbon’s arms?

On average, a gibbon’s arms are 1.5 times longer than its legs, and siamang gibbons can have arm spans up to 5 feet wide. Primate keeper Carly Hornberger did the math. According to her calculations, if humans had similar proportions, a 5-foot-4-inch woman would have an arm span of about 10 feet, 7 inches!

Are gibbons strong?

Gibbons are not as strong as their great ape cousins, but their powerful arms, along with hook-like hands and specialized shoulder joints, help them swing from branch to branch through the jungle. This type of movement is called brachiation. It allows gibbons to reach average speeds of about 35 miles per hour and propel themselves from one tree to another over distances of up to 50 feet.

Where do gibbons live in the wild?

Gibbons are found in the rainforests of southern Asia, where they spend most of their time in trees. When gibbons do visit the ground, they tend to walk on two feet and may even hoist their long arms over their heads for balance.

What do gibbons eat?

Gibbons are frugivores, meaning they prefer to eat fruit. When fruit is scarce, they also eat leaves, flowers, shoots, and the occasional egg or insect.

What color are gibbons?

As juveniles they resemble an adult male White-cheeked gibbon all black with white cheeks. Females will remain this color throughout their adolescence. At seven years old females will change back to having light fur and in addition have a black crest on the top of her head.

Where are gibbons found?

There are more northern white-cheeked gibbons in North American and European zoos than in the wild in China and northern Vietnam.

What is the name of the gibbon that has partial webbing?

They exhibit unique paternal care not observed in other gibbons. "Symphalangus syndactylus" means webbing of the digits; the Siamang is the only gibbon species in which all individuals have partial webbing of their second and third toes. Siamang gibbons have a glossy black fur.

How many chromosomes are in a crested gibbon?

Female. Their genus is known, as the crested gibbon, which has 52 chromosomes. All six species of crested gibbons are endangered, with numbers in the wild ranging from 25 Hainan gibbons (the world's rarest primate) to approximately 30,000 buff cheeked gibbons.

What are the first 8 types of apes?

The first 8 types of apes that we’ll talk about are the great apes. All of these species belong to the family Hominidae, which contains 8 living species in 4 genera.

How many western gorillas are there?

The western lowland gorilla is by far the most populous of the two subspecies, with some estimates indicating that there are about 90,000 individuals in the wild.

What is the second ape species?

Once considered to be a subspecies of chimpanzee, the bonobo ( Pan paniscus) is the second of the two ape species in the genus Pan. In fact, it’s believed that the bonobo and the chimp diverged from the same species about 1.5 million to 2 million years ago after the formation of the Congo River.

When did the Bonobo and the Chimp diverge?

In fact, it’s believed that the bonobo and the chimp diverged from the same species about 1.5 million to 2 million years ago after the formation of the Congo River.

Is a great ape the same as a lesser ape?

Great apes and lesser apes both belong to the same superfamily. However, the term “great apes” is used to refer to the species in the family Hominidae, which includes the largest primates, such as the orangutans, gorillas, and bonobos. Meanwhile, “lesser apes” refers to the gibbons, which are usually smaller and spend most of their life in the trees.

Is a white cheeked gibbon a spice?

This gibbon is closely related to the southern white-cheeked gibbon and it wasn’t considered to be a distinct spice until relatively recently. However, the species’ genome was sequenced in 2011, providing the necessary evidence that it is, indeed, a distinct type of ape.

Overview

Gibbons are apes in the family Hylobatidae (/ˌhaɪləˈbætɪdiː/). The family historically contained one genus, but now is split into four extant genera and 20 species. Gibbons live in subtropical and tropical rainforest from eastern Bangladesh to Northeast India to southern China and Indonesia (including the islands of Sumatra, Borneo and Java).
Also called the lesser apes or small apes, gibbons differ from great apes (bonobos, chimpanzees,

Etymology

Evolutionary history

Taxonomy

Description

Behavior

Diet

Genetics