How many types of gibbons are there

Many species of gibbon are listed as endangered or critically endangered. Why do Gibbons scream? The apes make specific sounds when foraging or encountering neighbours and can even distinguish between different predators, making warning noises when a particular animal comes too close. Are Gibbons monkeys? They are part of the ape family and are classified as lesser apes because they are smaller than the great apes. The great apes are bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas, humans, and orangutans.

Are Gibbons going extinct? Not extinct. How high can a gibbon jump? If they want a real challenge they should try the Gibbon Leap. These apes can leap over 10 metres from tree to tree. Is a lemur a monkey? Lemurs are primates, an order that includes monkeys, apes and humans. There are approximately 32 different types of lemurs in existence today, all of which are endemic to Madagascar; a single island country off the southeast coast of Africa.

Gibbons produce the most complex songs of all land mammals. Song-bouts usually last about minutes. Gibbon songs reveal the singer's species, sex and individual identity. The songs probably serve to mark territorial boundaries and find partners.

Mated gibbons usually sing together in well-coordinated duets. Duetting probably serves to advertise or strengthen the pair bond.

Gibbon songs are probably the best model for the evolution of human music, since both are derived from the same, genetically determined call type. So far, the cognitive abilities of the gibbons have hardly been studied. Gibbons can recognise themselves in the mirror, which is generally taken to indicate self-consciousness.

Gibbons share this ability only with humans and other great apes. Figure: This gibbon examines the inside of his mouth in the mirror left and makes unusual body positions right. He is clearly interested in observing this in the reflection photos: Maria Ujhelyi.

Gibbons not only include the most endangered apes but also the most endangered primate species of the world. Several gibbon species are threatened by imminent extinction in the very near future. The plight of the small apes receives virtually no media coverage. Acrobats of the forest, a gibbons long arms and compact body are perfectly adapted for life in the trees, so they need never come to the ground and generally live an entirely arboreal existence.

So well adapted to life in the canopy, they are capable of performing leaps between trees of up to 12 meter and brachiating at speeds of up to 56 Kilometer per hour. Gibbons communicate with a wide repertoire of vocalizations, but are best known for their hauntingly beautiful song; males and females sing together in a duet that is unique to each species. They are relatively slow breeders, giving birth to only one offspring every years, and baby gibbons remain fully dependent on their mother for around 12 months.

By the age of 2 years, they begin to move independently from their mother. A young gibbon has a lot to learn, and stays with its parents until around years of age, reaching full maturity at around 8 years. Gibbons eat mainly fruit and supplement this diet with leaves and insects. There are currently 4 genera and 19 species of gibbons recognized throughout their range. In Vietnam, we have 6 of the 7 species in the genus Nomascus, otherwise known as the crested gibbons.

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