White Handed Gibbon

The White-Handed Gibbon (Hylobates lar) is an endangered, tree-living primate. Because of hunting and clearing of the rainforests where they make their home, these animals are in danger of extinction. It is estimated that a mere 10% of their natural habitat remains, and most of this falls in protected sanctuaries. The young are often captured and sold as pets.

White-Handed Gibbons are found in the tropical rainforests of Indonesia, southern China, Burma, Malaysia, and Thailand. They are most often found in the treetops, swinging from branch to branch. They don’t build nests for sleeping like other apes, but, instead, they sleep sitting upright on a tree branch. Usually they have “sleeping trees” that are used every night by each group of gibbons and not used by any other groups. They are able to walk upright, using their long arms for balance, but they don’t use that form of transportation often and prefer to travel through the trees. They avoid crossing water as they don’t know how to swim. Gibbons travel in family groups which usually consist of a mated pair and their offspring. They are very territorial, sometimes holding areas of 30-100 acres.

White-Handed Gibbons have very thick, soft fur that ranges in color from black to a reddish-tan. They have essentially hairless black faces which are ringed in white, and, true to their name, the upper parts of their hands are white with an opposable thumb. They have very long arms which are well suited for tree swinging. An adult gibbon can reach a height of 25 inches (63 cm) and a weight of 14 pounds (6 kg). They are tail-less and have coarse pads of skin on their rears that help protect and give comfort when they are sitting or sleeping on tree branches.

Primarily herbivorous, White-Handed Gibbons most often eat fruit and leaves, and they appear to be most fond of figs. However, they will eat insects, bird eggs, and the occasional bird, which they snatch out of the air as they swing by. They forage during the day, often stopping at more than 16 different trees to find food and will rest during the heat of the day.

Interesting Fact: White-Handed Gibbons often get their needed water by licking the moisture off of their fur after a rainstorm or by rubbing it on wet foliage.

White-Handed Gibbons reach sexual maturity at six to eight years of age, when they leave the family groups to find their own mates. Female gibbons give birth to young every three to four years, and one baby is born at a time. The pregnancies last approximately 210 days, and the young gibbons are born nearly hairless, except for a small tuft of hair on the top of their heads. The young gibbons cling to their mothers night and day until they begin to swing through the trees at six months of age. They will stay close to their families, only leaving when they are of breeding age and are kicked out of the group by a parent.

Communication in White-Handed Gibbons is extensive, relying mostly on lengthy calls that are very musical. They use these to communicate within the family groups and to protect their territories against other family groups. They use different tones to their voices to announce their presence, give details about who is in their family, the sex of the members, and whether or not there is a youngster about to leave the group. They also have a specific warning call that they use if there is danger.