From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
| Gibbons | ||||||||||||||||
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Hylobates agilis Hylobates concolor Hylobates hoolock Hylobates klossii Hylobates lar Hylobates moloch Hylobates muelleri Hylobates pileatus Hylobates syndactylus | ||||||||||||||||
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Gibbons are small apes traditionally grouped in the genus Hylobates, though at least some authorities now divide them into four genera: Hylobates, Bunopithecus, Nomascus, and Symphalangus. They are also called lesser apes, and differ from great apes in being smaller, generally monogamous, in not making nests, and in certain anatomical details in which they more closely resemble monkeys than the great apes do. They occur in tropical and subtropical rainforests from northeast India to Indonesia and north to southern China. Gibbons are masters of their primary mode of locomotion, brachiation, allowing them to swing from branch to branch distances of up to 50 feet, at speeds as much as 35 mph. Strongly territorial, they defend their boundaries with vigorous visual and vocal displays. The vocal element, which can often be heard for long distances, consists of a duet between the mated pair, the young animals sometimes joining in. This eerie song can make them an easy find for poachers who engage in the illegal wildlife trade and sales of body parts for use in traditional medicine. Most species are threatened or endangered, and the most important reason is degradation or loss of their forest habitat.
The species include the Siamang, the White-handed Gibbon, and the Hoolock Gibbon. The siamang, which is the largest, is distinguished by having two digits on each side stuck together, hence the species name syndactylus.
- ORDER PRIMATES
- Suborder Strepsirhini: non-tarsier prosimians
- Suborder Haplorhini: tarsiers, monkeys and apes
- Family Tarsiidae: tarsiers
- Superfamily Platyrrhini
- Family Callitrichidae: marmosets and tamarins
- Family Cebidae: capuchin monkeys and allies
- Superfamily Catarrhini
- Family Cercopithecidae: Old World monkeys
- Family Hylobatidae: gibbons
- Agile Gibbon, Hylobates agilis
- Black Gibbon, Hylobates concolor
- Hoolock Gibbon, Hylobates hoolock
- Kloss' Gibbon, Hylobates klossii
- White-handed Gibbon, Hylobates lar
- Moloch Gibbon, Hylobates moloch
- Mueller's Gibbon, Hylobates muelleri
- Pileated Gibbon, Hylobates pileatus
- Siamang, Hylobates syndactylus
- Family Hominidae: great apes and humans
