Gibbon - world’s rarest, endangered primate

Baku, May 7, AZERTAC

The gibbon, (family Hylobatidae), any of approximately 20 species of small apes found in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia.

Gibbons, like the great apes (gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees, and bonobos), have a humanlike build and no tail, but gibbons seem to lack higher cognitive abilities and self-awareness, differing from great apes in having longer arms, dense hair, and a throat sac used for amplifying sound.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, gibbons are arboreal and move from branch to branch with speed and great agility by swinging from their arms (brachiating).

They are active during the day and live in small monogamous groups that defend territories in the treetops, feeding mainly on fruit, with varying proportions of leaves and with some insects and bird eggs as well as young birds.

Nearly all gibbon species are considered endangered or critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.