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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
gibbon |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Primates |
| FAMILY: |
Hylobatidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Hylobates
(dweller in the trees); 4 subgenera; 11 species |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Smaller, more slender than Pongidae; possess long arms, buttock pads but no tail, long canine teeth. Basal portion of the thumb is freed from the palm and extends out from near the wrist allowing wide range of movement. Sexual dimorphism depends upon species. |
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| SIZE: |
Largest
species: H. syndactylus head/body length
750-900 mm (2.5-3 ft.), arm spread 1.5 meters (4.9
ft.). |
| Other
species average head/body length 440-635 mm (17.3-25
in.). |
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| WEIGHT: |
Largest
species: H. syndactylus weighs 8-13 kg (18-29
lb.). |
| Other
species average 4-8 kg (8.8-18 lb.). |
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| DIET: |
Diet varies by species. Most are primarily frugivorous supplimented with insects, eggs and small vertebrates. |
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| GESTATION: |
230-235
days in H. syndactylus; 7-7.5 months in H.
lar and H. pileatus |
| ESTRAL
PERIOD |
Between
28-30 days |
| NURSING
DURATION |
Weaning
is gradual. In H. lar occurs at about 1 year,
8 months. |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
Full
sexual maturity occurs at 8-9 years, but have been
successfully bred in captivity at around 4-6 years. |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
H.
syndactylus, H. agilis and H. leucogenys
have had lifespans of more than 40 years in zoos. |
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| RANGE: |
Tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia including China, Laos, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Sumatra Burma, Bangladesh, Thailand, Borneo, Java and isolated islands of Indonesia. |
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| HABITAT: |
Monsoon and evergreen rainforsts on islands and mainland of Southeast Asia. All species are aborreal. |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Varies
by species |
| REGIONAL |
Varies by species |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Endangered or Critically Endangered depending upon
species. |
| CITES |
Appendix
I |
| USFWS |
Endangered |
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| 1. |
Considered
one of the most agile of animal species. Travel
by brachiation using long arms, hook-like digits
to swing through the tree canopy. May cover 3 meters
(9.8 ft) in a single swing and can leap from one
branch to another at distances of 9 meters (29.5
ft.). When on the ground or on large tree limbs
will walk upright with arms held high for balance. |
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| 2. |
Diurnal; active approximately 10.5 hrs per day.
Groups settle down in a regularly used sleeping
tree at about 1600 to 1800 hours. |
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| 3. |
All species monogamous. Family groups consisting
of mated pair and offspring establish small, stable
home ranges which they will defend. Subadults are
forced out of the group and will live singly until
a new territory is established. |
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| 4. |
All
species highly territoria. Defense of territory
involves calls, diplays and chasing. The displays
include acrobatics and breaking tree branches. Physical
fighting is rare. |
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| 5. |
Calls
and songs have been extensively studied. Calls are
species specific and differ by sex. Group calls
include morning chorus and duets between males and
females. The calls of females are the longest and
most distinctive. |
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| Gibbon
populations have been greatly reduced and fragmented
by the encroachment of humans and destruction of
their habitats. |
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| Nowak,
R. M. Walker's Mammals of the World. Sixth
edition. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press,
1999. |
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