Gibbon Monkey

Gibbons are popular zoo exhibits because of their arm swinging skills. People have been intrigued by their ability to swing so easily. Moreover, scientists have always been fascinated by their amazing acrobatic skills. Their agility in forest tree tops, simply leaves everybody stupefied. Like the other types of monkeys, gibbon monkeys are animals with flat faces, full shoulder rotations, broad chest, arms which are longer than legs, grasping hands and feet, enlarged brain, absence of tail and presence of opposing digits. However, they have several unique features.

Taxonomic Classification
Their scientific classification is as follows:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Infraorder: Catarrhini
Family: Hylobatidae

There are 15 gibbon species, which are placed under 4 genera: Nomascus, Symphalangus, Hoolock, and Hylobates.

Appearance...
Also known as smaller apes, the gibbon monkey is a relatively small, lightweight, agile and slender animal. The monkey features a small round head, long arms, with long fingers, but relatively short thumb. Their body is covered with dense, fluffy, light colored to dark brown hair. This hair envelopes most of the body parts, except the face, fingers, palms, soles of the feet and armpits. Their small jaws feature sharp canine teeth. Female gibbons are generally heavier than the males.

Habitat...
These monkeys spend most of their time swinging in trees. Thus, they are classified under arboreal animals. They are found in the wild in the tropical and subtropical rainforests of South, Southeast and East Asia. Countries like China, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Northeast India, Thailand and Cambodia have the privilege of housing small populations of this animal.

Shelter...
Unlike apes, gibbons do not build their own nests. Gibbon monkeys possess fleshy pads, devoid of nerves attached to the hip bones, called ischial callosities, which enables them to sleep in the sitting position. Gibbon monkeys are found sleeping in sitting position in the forks of branches, with their heads tucked into their laps and their long arms wrapped around their knees. Groups of gibbons have their usual sleeping trees in which they assemble at about 1600 - 1800 hours. They are diurnal primates, being active about ten and a half hours a day.

Diet...
Gibbon monkeys are omnivorous, thus, they eat anything and everything, right from plants to meat and fruits. However, 75% of their diet comprises all kinds of fruits, which they consume during their hunt among the trees during the day. They also munch on tender shoots, leaves, seeds, barks and flowers. Eggs, insects, spiders, small birds, etc. are also part of their diet.

Mode of Transport...
Their long arms enable them to swing from one branch to another; one tree to another and they can remain suspended in the air by their hands. Their long fingers enables them to get a good grasp on the branch, by acting like a hook. This arm-swinging movement is called brachiation, which enables them to swing distances of about 50 feet in trees, as high as 200 feet, at a speed of about 35 mph. Besides the swinging form of transport, these primates are also known for their bipedal locomotion. They walk bipedally with their arm assisting to maintain balance. They often exert their body weight on their hands and then swing their legs. However, gibbons cannot swim and thus avoid water.

Felling of trees and man's intrusion into their habitat, has pushed gibbon monkeys one step closer to extinction. Today, these wonderful acrobatic monkeys are in the endangered monkeys list. Illegal wildlife trade, poaching and use of their body parts for preparation of traditional medicine, are some other factors that have contributed to their plummeting numbers. It's up to us to prevent these amazing acrobats from being wiped off the surface of this Earth!