The agile gibbon (''Hylobates agilis''), also known as the black-handed gibbon, is an

Old World The "Old World" is a term for Afro-Eurasia that originated in Europe , after Europeans became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia, which were previously thought of by thei ...

primate Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians ( monkeys and apes, the latter includin ...

in the

gibbon Gibbons () are apes in the family Hylobatidae (). The family historically contained one genus, but now is split into four extant genera and 20 species. Gibbons live in subtropical and tropical rainforest from eastern Bangladesh to Northeast Indi ...

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

. It is found in Indonesia on the island of Sumatra, Malaysia, and southern Thailand. The species is listed as endangered on the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biolo ...

due to

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

and the pet trade.

Taxonomy

The species is generally thought not to have subspecies, but some experts recognise a mountain form and a lowland form. * Mountain agile gibbon, ''Hylobates agilis agilis'' * Lowland agile gibbon, ''Hylobates agilis unko''

Description

The agile gibbon has fur varying in color from black to red-brown. The brow is white, and the male can be recognized by his white or light-grey cheeks. Additionally, the male is slightly larger than the female. The agile gibbon weighs from with an average of , though in captivity it can reach . It has a head and body length of . Like all

s it is tailless.

Behaviour

With its long arms they swing on branches, brachiating at a fast pace. Like all gibbons, it lives in

monogamous Monogamy ( ) is a form of dyadic relationship in which an individual has only one partner during their lifetime. Alternately, only one partner at any one time ( serial monogamy) — as compared to the various forms of non-monogamy (e.g., pol ...

pairs in a strictly enforced territory, which is defended with vigorous visual displays and songs. The diet of the agile gibbon is generally

frugivorous A frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts and seeds. Approximately 20% of mammalian herbivores eat fruit. Frugivores are highly dependent on the abundance an ...

but have also been observed eating leaves, flowers, and insects. Females give birth to a single offspring after seven months' gestation. The young gibbon is weaned at barely 2 years of age. When fully mature, at about 8 years, it leaves its family group in order to look for a mate.

Distribution and habitat

The agile gibbon is found on

Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...

southeast of Lake Toba and the Singkil River, in a small area on the

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula ( Malay: ''Semenanjung Tanah Melayu'') is a peninsula in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The ar ...

, and south Thailand near the Malaysian border. It predominantly lives

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. The habitats pose nu ...

ly in rain forests and rarely comes to the ground.

References

External links

Gibbon Conservation Center
at The Primata {{Taxonbar, from=Q838962

agile gibbon The agile gibbon (''Hylobates agilis''), also known as the black-handed gibbon, is an Old World primate in the gibbon family (biology), family. It is found in Indonesia on the island of Sumatra, Malaysia, and southern Thailand. The species is l ...

Mammals of Malaysia Mammals of Thailand Fauna of Sumatra Primates of Indonesia Species endangered by the pet trade Species endangered by oil palm plantations Species endangered by roadbuilding Species endangered by habitat fragmentation