Gibbon monkey | Facts & Information

Origin

They are grouped into nine species, which live mainly in Sumatra, the Malaysian Peninsula and Thailand, as well as in other islands or countries in the southeast of the great continent.

Among these species, the most important are: Siamangul, Mana-Alba Gibbon, hair-on-the-crest Gibbon, Klass Gibbon, Unkava Gibbon, etc.

Feeding Gibbon

Gibbons roam their territories daily, traveling an average of a kilometer, in search of food.

Gibbons prefer pulpy, sweet and ripe fruit. Fruits repfezinta 50-60% of their diet. More eat figs, leaves, twigs, flowers, bird eggs, insects, etc.

Food sources are relatively small and vary depending on the season, so the gibbon spends the most time searching for food between October and April.

Feeding is most often done in the morning from 6 o'clock to around 10 o'clock. Gibbons eat together. Fruits provide them with the energy they need every day.

It has been observed that in captivity Gibbons shared their food. This has not been observed in the Wild, probably because it is found in small quantities.

Adults usually offer food to younger Gibbons.

Appearance Gibbon

Gibbons have no hair on the face, whose skin is dark in color, instead most species have the face framed by a "border" of fur different in color from that of the rest of the body.

Females are usually the same size as males, but in most species they differ in hair color.

Also even gibbon species can be recognized by hair, most fur having a tan color with shades of silver-gray, but the Mana-White Gibbon's fur is golden-reddish.

Gibbons are arboreal animals, so their mode of movement, adapted to the living environment, is brachiation, that is, hanging in the arms. To move in this way, they have long and strong arms, ending with long fingers, which cling to the branches of trees like hooks.

Also, the palms are human-like, with the thumb farther away from the other fingers; the soles of the feet are wide and have long fingers. Thus, when jumping from one branch to another, the gibbon has such a speed that it seems to fly.

Diurnal animals, gibbons are active mainly in the morning and afternoon, resting during the hot hours. Using leaves and branches, they make a comfortable bed among the branches of trees, where they sleep during the night.

Most species live in true "societies", comprising numerous families, usually consisting of one male, one female and a maximum of four offspring.

It has been found that the male and female of these families do not separate until the end of their lives. Family groups have certain territories of their own, which they defend, not allowing the presence of other species of Gibbons there.

Gibbon Behavior

A more special feature of Gibbons is song. Any Gibbon living in the collective must sing. Every day, or every few days, they sing, most of the time at dawn.

The song can last from a few minutes to 2 hours, and the animals sing in duet (male and female), in chorus (when joined by other gibbons) or solo.

When a gibbon sings solo, he climbs to the top of a tree to perform, and when he reaches the climax of the "ARIA", he jumps from branch to branch, breaking leaves and twigs; he is joined by other family members, and the song resembles an oriental ritual, accompanied by screams, whistles, chirps, screams and all kinds of rather strange sounds.

Gibbons ' songs have several purposes: they let neighboring tribes know that territory is occupied, or they may play a role in reproduction, being a mode of communication between the male and the female. The sounds produced by Gibbons are heard from a distance of 2-3 kilometers.

Of all the animal species, the Klass gibbon is said to be the land mammal that sings most beautifully.

Unfortunately, the action of man has a negative role in the life of Asian Anthropoid Apes. Many were caught and taken to zoos, where a large proportion died from captivity.

The main danger, however, is the destruction of their living environment. The equatorial and tropical forests are shrinking more and more, and the animals have been forced to live in smaller territories, which has led to increased aggression and thus mortality, and to a decrease in the animals ' interest in breeding.

Breeding Gibbon

Mating occurs at about 2-3 years.

Gestation lasts 7-8 months, and after that the female gives birth to a single cub, which she holds for a while clinging to her body.

The mother breastfeeds him regularly in the first year, only at the beginning of the second year she separates from him and leaves him on his own.

Although the puppy from 2-3 years old begins to walk alone, it breaks up with the family precisely at 6-7 years, and after that he looks for a pair and starts his own family.