|
SSP
Species / Endangered
Species
Description: Head and body length: 40-60 cm (15.8-23.6
in); weight: 5-8 kg (11-17.6 lbs). Adult males are black with
black and white patches on the cheeks and a crest of erect hairs
on top of the head. Adult females are buff or golden, sometimes
with black patches. Offspring are buff-colored when born, turning
black after about six months. Females turn buff again when they
mature at 6-7 years.
Range and Habitat: Vietnam and Laos. Tropical and evergreen
rain forest to an altitude of 2,400 m (4,920 ft).
Habits and Adaptations: One of the most agile mammals
in trees. They have a spectacular arm-swinging form of locomotion
(brachiation) and habitual erect posture, which are key adaptations,
with hands bent in a hook shape, for their unique suspensory behavior.
They also make long limb walks upright holding their arms out
for balance. Active during the day. Sleeps in trees at night.
Lives in small family groups: 1 male, 1 female and 1-4 immature
offspring. Occupy a territory which they defend from intrusion
by other gibbons. Sexual dimorphic vocalizations begin each day
in the early morning. Loud melodic songs, called "concerts"or
"great calls", can be heard about 1 mile away.
Diet: Fruits, leaves, buds, insects, spiders, and young
birds and eggs (rarely).
Breeding and Maturation: Gestation of 7.5 months, with
one young born every 2-3 years. Offspring carefully cared for
by parents. Matures in 6-7 years. Subadult males are forced out
of the family territory by the adult male, subadult females by
the female.
Miscellaneous: All species of Hylobates are listed as
endangered by the US Fish & Wildlife Service and Appendix
I in CITES. Gibbons are exploited for the pet and food trade.
Destruction of forest by human population reduces the habitat
for an animal which requires a large area due to territorial habits.
It is indicated that these territories are passed down through
gibbon generations. Family Pongidae consists of those animals
which are the closest living relatives to modern Homo sapiens.
|