Lar Gibbon

Helen Brach Primate House is open 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Did You Know?

• Lar gibbons are also called white-handed gibbons, as they have white feet and hands that contrast with the coloring of the rest of the body.
• These small apes, with arms longer than their legs, are adapted to move in trees through brachiation; their hands form a loose hook around branches, enabling them to swing through trees with a hand-over-hand motion easily spanning a gap of 25 feet. They also walk, hop, and run relatively quickly.
• In mornings or afternoons, adult pairs perform distinctive and prolonged calls to broadcast their territory boundaries. These ritualized duets can last more than 10 minutes.

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Overview

Scientific Name: Hylobates lar

Diet: Fruit, leaves, insects, eggs

Range: Southeast Asia

Endangered Status: Endangered

More Information

Lar gibbons are small apes that can weigh on average up to about 17 pounds, with a body up to 2 feet in length. Both sexes can be found in creamy, brown, or black colors at all ages and adults have a ring of white hair around a hairless face.

Lar gibbons live high in the canopy in forested regions, in groups consisting of a male and female and their offspring. They are active during the day and live in territories of up to 100 acres. Gibbons spend much of their time grooming and foraging. They generally produce one infant every three to five years. Female gibbons reach maturity at 8–10 years and males at 8–12 years. The major threat to this species is hunting for bushmeat and the pet trade as well as habitat loss due to shifting agriculture and commercial palm oil plantations.