Gibbons are called medium-sized monkeys. They belong to the family of primates living in tropical forests. There is a certain incorrect stereotype about these animals. As a rule, having heard about a gibbon, a person who does not know imagines a large ugly creature of the primate family. But in fact, these animals stand out among a wide variety of species of monkeys precisely because of their unusual touching appearance and relatively small size. In this article we will consider a gibbon, a photo of an animal, its habits and lifestyle.
Habitat
To date, the area of distribution of this animal is much smaller than a century ago. Now the habitat of a gibbon is limited only to Southeast Asia. The distribution of human activity led to a decrease in the area of distribution. Mostly gibbon is found in tropical forests and on trees that are located on the slopes of the mountains. It is noteworthy that these primates never live in the mountains at an altitude of more than two kilometers above sea level.
Physical features of the family
Among the variety of different species of primates, gibbons are noticeably distinguished by the absence of a tail and elongated forelimbs. Due to the length and strength of the hands, representatives of this family are able to move between the crowns of trees with very high speed.
In nature, the gibbon monkey is found with three color options - gray, brown and black. The size of individuals determines its subspecies affiliation. The smallest of gibbons in puberty reaches half a meter in height and weighs up to 5 kilograms. Individuals of a larger subspecies can have a height of up to 100 centimeters and, accordingly, have more weight.
Lifestyle
The greatest activity of primates occurs in the daytime. Gibbons quickly move between the crowns of trees, sometimes jumping up to 3 meters. Due to this, the speed of movement of primates between tree branches can reach 15 kilometers per hour. Since they can only move quickly through trees, where they, in turn, also find the necessary food, they have no need to go down to the ground. Therefore, this is extremely rare. But when this happens, it looks very interesting and comical. Gibbons move on their hind legs, while the front ones balance.
Adult pairs of animals held together live with their cubs in the territory, which they consider their own and fiercely defend. Every morning, the male climbs to the top of the tallest tree and makes loud noises, which in scientific circles are called a song. With this signal, the male informs the other families that this territory belongs to him and his community. Often, you can also find lonely gibbon monkeys without their possessions and family. In most cases, these are young males who left the community in search of a life partner. It is noteworthy that the youngsters leave the family not of their own free will, but are driven out by the leader. After that, he can travel through the forests for several years. Until the moment she meets the female. When the meeting comes, the young community finds an unoccupied territory and already breeds and breeds offspring there.
What do gibbons eat
Monkeys of the studied species are used to living on the branches of tall tropical trees, they find food there. All year round, gibbons eat fruits from the fruiting types of vines and trees. In addition, they feed on foliage and insects, which are their main source of protein.
Unlike other primates, these monkeys are more picky about food. For example, the monkey is able to eat non-ripe fruits, and only ripe prefers gibbons. They will leave the unripe fruit on the branches, giving it the opportunity to ripen.
How gibbon breeds and how much it lives
These monkeys make up monogamous pairs. At the same time, the young live in the same family with their parents until they reach puberty. This period usually begins by the 10th year of life. Sometimes foreign old individuals adjoin the families. This happens because of loneliness. Having lost a partner, a gibbon as a rule does not find a new one and live out the rest of its life alone. Most often, this lasts quite a while, as the average lifespan of this species of monkey is 25 years. In the gibbon community, caring for each other is common. The individuals eat, eat, and the young growth helps to control the smallest members of the family. In a female Gibbon monkey, a new calf appears every 2-3 years. As soon as the baby is born, he tightly grasps his mother’s body and clings to her. This is due to the fact that, even with the baby in her arms, the female moves very quickly through the trees, and this happens at a great height. In turn, the male also takes care of the offspring, but his role is to protect the territory of the family.
Protecting Gibbons in the Wild
Deforestation of Southeast Asia threatens Gibbons with complete destruction in the near future.
According to data obtained by scientists, at the end of the 20th century, the number of these animals amounted to only 4 million individuals. But to date, statistics show that a real threat of extinction looms over this species of primates. Regular and extensive logging contributes to the immigration of at least a thousand individuals each year, which leads to a reduction in the population of the species. Subspecies like Kloss's Gibbon are already on the verge of extinction. It's time for people to worry about this!
To save amazing animals, it is necessary, first of all, to protect the places where gibbons live from logging and poaching. These primates are exclusively forest dwellers, who do absolutely no harm to humans. They are not carriers of diseases and parasites, which makes them absolutely safe neighbors. For example, in Indonesia, gibbons are very revered as spirits of the forest because of their similarity to humans and a high level of intelligence. The hunting of these primates is strictly prohibited in the country. However, in other parts of Southeast Asia, gibbons continue to die due to human activities.