Among the primates, these animals are the most offended by prejudice. Most people, at the mention of them, immediately imagine a huge, ugly and ferocious monkey, not distinguished by quick wits and tact. In fact, they look and act completely different.
After reading the information in the article, you can learn a lot of interesting things about gibbons.
Apes
This family combines highly developed monkeys, which are characterized by fairly large sizes, a rudimentary tail and long forelimbs. They have no ischial calluses and cheek pouches, and the brain has a rather complex structure. They also have an offshoot of the caecum.
This family consists of three species of monkeys belonging to three genera: gorilla, orangutan and chimpanzee.
Gorilla has a fairly large growth, moderate length of the forelimbs and small ears, as well as 13 pairs of ribs. It is found in the equatorial forests of Africa.
The orangutan is characterized by strongly elongated jaws, very long forelimbs, small auricles, 12 pairs of ribs andonly 3 tail vertebrae. This species lives on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo and leads a mainly arboreal lifestyle.
Chimpanzee has a relatively small stature and short forelimbs. It has large ears (human-like) and 13 pairs of ribs. Under natural conditions, it lives in the forests of the equatorial part of Africa.
Gibbon Family
Gibbons are a family of monkeys, consisting of 13 species. It consists of medium-sized arboreal primates, distinguished by very long forelimbs, with which they make long jumps, flying from one tree to another. They do not have cheek pouches or a tail, but do have small buttocks.
The great apes (they were previously united in one family) are approached by a number of features, for example, by the structure of their brain. Today, there are several varieties of gibbons distributed in Southeast Asia and on some of the Greater Sunda Islands (closest to the mainland).
Habitats, lifestyle and temperament
Gibbons (a photo of monkeys is presented in the article) live in the tropical dense and humid forests of the Sunda Islands (Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan) and Southeast Asia (Burma, India, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia). They rise to mountainous regions up to a height of 2000 meters. These monkeys are active only during daylight hours.
These are small primates whose body length is one meter and weight does not exceed 10 kilograms. With their strong and long arms they canmove from branch to branch at a distance of up to ten meters or more. A similar mode of movement (brachiation) is also characteristic of some great apes.
Some primates of this species have the ability to melodious singing (“singing monkeys”). They live in small family groups, headed by leader males. Puberty in gibbons occurs around the age of 5-7 years.
One of the interesting facts is that the cub is born after conception after 210 days, almost naked and with very little weight. Mom wears it on her stomach for about two years, warming her with her warmth.
Description and characteristics
Gibbon is a primate whose size is small, and body weight in different species varies between 4-8.5 kg. His body is thin, his head is small, his facial features are small, similar to monkeys. Like humans, they have only 32 teeth, as well as several blood groups - II, III and IV (group I is absent). Some scientists consider them to be the most perfect among non-human apes, while others classify them as primitive anthropoid species. Whatever it was, these primates are quite close genetically related to humans.
The body of the gibbon, the photo of which is shown below, is covered with long and thick hair. He has only bare feet, face, palms and ischial calluses. The skin of all species of gibbons is black. Sexual dimorphism in this species of monkeys is not expressed. Most often, the coat color is solid black with small white marks located ondifferent parts of the body (face, hands and top of the skull). You can often find individuals with light fur: beige or brown.
Food, lifestyle and disposition
Gibbons mostly eat plant foods. The basis of the diet are leaves with flowers, nuts and juicy fruits (bananas, rambutans, tamarinds). Sometimes animals eat insects, less often they eat eggs and chicks. These monkeys don't know how to drink. They dip their hands into the water and then lick all the moisture off the wet fur.
Gibbon is an agile, smart and quick-witted monkey. It cannot be called aggressive or harmful. In their free time from games, these monkeys are rather modest and rarely participate in conflicts. The favorite position of couples during the rest period is to sit embracing.
Most of the disputes among gibbons come down to the protection of the boundaries of their territories. However, in this case, they prefer not to fight with the enemy, but simply to indicate their rights with a voice that has a long and high sound, reminiscent of the howl of a wolf, sometimes a whistle, and sometimes bird trills.
In conclusion, one important feature of gibbons
Gibbons are animals that differ from other monkeys in a rare feature - they are monogamous creatures. They live strictly either in pairs or in small groups consisting of a female, a male and their cubs (sometimes lonely old relatives join them). The couple remains faithful to each other throughout their lives, the duration of which in natural conditionsequals approximately 25 years.
