Gibbon

Gibbons spend almost their entire lives high in tropical forests from India to southern China and the Indonesian archipelago. Their lightweight bodies, extremely long arms, and hook-shaped hands let them brachiate—swing hand over hand—at speeds reaching 55 kilometers per hour. Propulsive leaps of up to 15 meters let them cross gaps in the canopy without dropping into the understory. Dense fur ranges from black to honey blond, with white face rings on some species such as the lar gibbon.

Canopy life demands careful balance and communication. Each morning, mated pairs climb a favorite branch to duet, inflating a laryngeal sac in the throat that acts like a resonant drum. These duets warn neighbors to stay out of established feeding trees and strengthen pair bonds. Gibbons are primarily frugivores, relying on ripe figs, lychees, and other sugary fruits, but they also eat tender leaves, flowers, and occasional insects. Their feeding keeps seeds moving across the forest, helping new trees sprout in sunny openings.

Social structure is usually monogamous: an adult male and female share a territory with one to three young of different ages. After a gestation of about seven months, the newborn clings to its mother’s belly for half a year before moving to her back. Juveniles learn the family’s suspension routes by shadowing their parents, and older siblings help babysit infants. When adolescents reach eight or nine years old, they leave to search for vacant patches of forest, often practicing solo songs before finding a mate.

Gibbons face shrinking habitat from logging, palm-oil plantations, and roads that slice apart the canopy. Hunting and the illegal pet trade remove adults, leaving youngsters orphaned. Conservation groups build canopy bridges over highways, plant native saplings to connect fragments, and run rescue centers that rehabilitate captured apes for release. Community forest patrols and responsible ecotourism provide income while keeping these acrobatic primates swinging through protected trees.