Forests

White-Handed Gibbon

Hylobates lar

About

Just monkeying around? Not gibbons! These primates are apes, not monkeys. One easy way to tell is that they don’t have a tail. They do have strong, hook-shaped hands and long arms that help them move from branch to branch by swinging hand-over-hand, making them among nature’s best acrobats. They can reach 35 miles per hour and span gaps of 50 feet in a single swing!

Did you know gibbons can sing? Males and their female partner call together for 10 minutes or more each day to claim their territory and communicate with their family. Gibbon parents stay together with their young, which are born every 3–4 years. Young gibbons stay with their parents for up to 7 years. Gibbons live to be more than 40 years old.

Size
Up to 2 feet long and about 11 pounds
Live in
Southeast Asia
omnivore icon
Food
Fruit, leaves, shoots, flowers, insects
EN icon
IUCN Red List Status
Endangered
Black gibbon

Conservation

Gibbons are an endangered species, and their populations are shrinking due to hunting and habitat loss through deforestation. You can help protect gibbon habitat by choosing sustainably sourced paper and wood products. Look for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) logo!

WHERE ARE THEY AT THE ZOO?

cropped zoo map showing chimpanzee location