Paradise Wildlife Park in Broxbourne, U.K. is proud to announce the arrival of a baby Lar Gibbon born to mother Mugwai and father Gremlin on Thursday 5th January 2012. Mother and Baby are doing very well. Section Leader of Primates, Steve Goodwin says, “This is the first baby for Mugwai, but she is proving to be a really good mum. We haven’t been able to get close enough to sex the baby yet, and we’re excited to find out if it is a boy or a girl.”
Also known as a White-headed Gibbon, this endangered species is threatened in the wild by habitat destruction, the illegal pet trade, and poaching.
The Chicago Zoological Society, which manages Brookfield Zoo, is happy to announce the birth of a male White-Cheeked Gibbon on November 15. The 1-month-old infant—along with his mom, Indah; dad, Benny; and 2-year-old brother, Thani—can be seen on exhibit in the zoo’s Tropic World: Asia exhibit daily between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Since his birth, the infant has been keeping a close grip on his mom. He will stay in contact and be carried by Indah for a few more months. As he gets older, he will begin to explore the habitat on his own, become more independent, and play with his brother and dad.
All White-cheeked Gibbons are born with a blond coat matching their mother’s coat, a form of camouflage. The new male Gibbon will retain this light coloring until it begins to turn dusky when he is half a year old. By the time he reaches his first birthday, the young Gibbon will be sporting a black coat with light cheek patches, like his dad and brother. He will retain this coloration for life. Females turn black and then back to blond again, with a small patch of black on their crown, when they reach sexual maturity at around 6 to 8 years of age.
Two Siamang put on a concert. They may be a breeding pair, in which case they call to communicate and strengthen their bond. Siamangs are monogamous and mate for life. Otherwise they put on these vocal displays to establish or reaffirm territory against other groups.
Gibbons have the most incredible hands and arms, which do make them a little awkward terrestrially.
You can also see the Siamang’s signature throat sacs.
Just twenty-three Hainan gibbons (Nomascus hainanus) survive in the world. Confined to a single protected area on a lone island, Hainan gibbons are losing their habitat at a steady rate of 20 hectares per day finds a new study by Greenpeace. In all, nearly a quarter of the Critically Endangered lesser ape’s habitat has been lost since 2001.
Researchers employed satellite imagery and field work to document illegal forest destruction on the island, largely for pulp and paper plantations. Although there are laws against such forest destruction, they are not enforced.
“This illegal deforestation comes in response to market demand and disrespect for nature,” Yi Lan, forests campaigner with Greenpeace, said in a press release. “In this case, the local government has the ability to stop the rainforests and the gibbons from disappearing from Hainan.”
There are no Hainan gibbons in captivity. Once widespread across Hainan Island, the nearly two dozen gibbons surviving today are found only in the Bawangling Nature Reserve on the island’s western side. Just over fifty years ago—before the forests were logged and turned into plantations—scientists believe there were likely 2,000 Hainan gibbons.
Members of the family Hylobatidae are masters of brachiation, the arm-over arm motion required to do the monkey-bars. Monkey-bars are actually a bit of a misnomer because brachiation is a homologous trait of the apes (Superfamily: Hominoidea) made possible by a shortened olecranon process of the ulna that allows us, members of the ape superfamily, to rotate our arms in wide circles above our heads and swing from branches. Monkeys actually do not have this ability, save for spider monkeys (Genus: Ateles) whom evolved this trait separately and are considered semibrachiators.
Gibbons, like the one in this video, are so agile and can be very playful. They are such fascinating primates, and there’s so much we still have to learn about their evolutionary history. There are two other good videos of gibbons being playful on youtube that I’ve listed below.
A gibbon went walkabout in central Hong Kong Wednesday after giving zoo keepers the slip.
The endangered northern buffed-cheeked gibbon escaped while staff at the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens were cleaning his enclosure early Wednesday, a government spokesman said.
The government-run zoological gardens are located in the central area of the city close to the main finance and shopping areas. A search was immediately launched and the gibbon was discovered about two hours later hiding under a car not far from the zoo.
It was shot with an anaesthetic dart by veterinarians and after an examination was returned to its enclosure. The species, Nomascus annamensis, was discovered last year in the rainforests of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.
