Gibbons are medium-sized monkeys. They belong to the family of primates that live in tropical forests. There is a certain wrong stereotype about these animals. As a rule, when hearing about a gibbon, an ignorant person imagines a large, ugly creature of the primate family. But in fact, these animals stand out among a wide variety of monkey species precisely because of their unusual touching appearance and relatively small size. In this article, we will look at the gibbon, a photo of the animal, its habits and lifestyle.
Habitat
Today, the area of distribution of this animal is much smaller than a century ago. Now the gibbon's habitat is limited only to Southeast Asia. The spread of human activity led to a decrease in the range. 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 types of primates, gibbons are noticeably distinguished by the absence of a tail and elongated forelimbs. Due to the length and strength of the arms, representatives of this family are able to move between the crowns of trees at a very high speed.
In nature, the gibbon monkey is found in three color options - gray, brown and black. The size of individuals is determined by its subspecies affiliation. The smallest of the gibbons in adulthood reaches half a meter in height and weighs up to 5 kilograms. Individuals of the larger subspecies can be up to 100 centimeters tall and therefore weigh more.
Lifestyle
The greatest activity of primates falls on the daytime. Gibbons quickly move between the crowns of trees, sometimes making jumps up to 3 meters. Thanks to this, the speed of movement of primates between the branches of trees can reach 15 kilometers per hour. Since they can move quickly only through the trees, where, in turn, they also find the necessary food, they have no need to descend to the ground. Therefore, this happens very rarely. But when it happens, it looks very interesting and comical. Gibbons move on their hind legs and balance with their front legs.
Adult established pairs of animals live together with their cubs in the territory that they consider their own and fiercely protect. Every morning, the male climbs to the top of the tallest tree and makes loud sounds, which in scientific circles are calledsong. With this signal, the male notifies the rest of the families that the territory belongs to him and his community. Often you can meet lonely gibbon monkeys that do not have their own possessions and families. In most cases, these are young males who left the community in search of a life partner. It is noteworthy that the young do not leave the family of their own free will, but are expelled by the leader. After that, he can travel through the forests for several years. Until he meets a female. When the meeting comes, the young community finds an unoccupied territory and already there it breeds and raises offspring.
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 fruit-bearing types of vines and trees. In addition, they feed on leaves and insects, which are their main source of protein.
Unlike representatives of other species of primates, these monkeys are more picky in food. For example, a monkey is able to eat unripe fruits, and gibbons prefer only ripe ones. They will leave the unripe fruit on the branches, giving it the opportunity to ripen.
How a gibbon breeds and how long it lives
These monkeys form monogamous couples. At the same time, the young live in the same family with their parents until they reach sexual maturity. This period begins, as a rule, by the age of 10. Sometimes extraneous old individuals adjoin families. It happens because of loneliness. Losing a partner, a gibbon likethe rule no longer finds a new one and live out the rest of their lives alone. Most often, this lasts quite a long time, since the average life expectancy of this species of monkeys is 25 years. In the gibbon community, caring for each other is common. Individuals take food together, eat, and the grown up young growth helps to control the smallest members of the family. A female gibbon monkey has a new baby every 2-3 years. As soon as the baby is born, he tightly clasps the mother's body and clings to her. This is due to the fact that, even with a cub in her arms, the female moves very quickly through the trees, and this happens at a high altitude. In turn, the male also takes care of the offspring, but his role is to protect the territory of the family.
Protection of gibbons in the natural environment
Deforestation in 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 today, statistics show that a real threat of extinction hangs 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 decrease in the population of the species. Subspecies such as Kloss's gibbon are already on the verge of extinction. It's time for people to worry about this!
To save amazing animals, first of all, it is necessary to protect the places where gibbons live from cutting down and poaching. These primates are exclusively forestresidents who do absolutely no harm to a person. They are not carriers of diseases and parasites, which makes them absolutely safe neighbors. For example, in Indonesia, gibbons are highly revered as forest spirits due to their resemblance to humans and their high level of intelligence. Hunting for these primates is strictly prohibited in the country. However, in other parts of Southeast Asia, gibbons continue to die due to human activities.
