Among primates, these animals are most offended by prejudice. Most people, when mentioning them, immediately imagine a huge, ugly and ferocious monkey, not distinguished by quick wit and tact. In fact, they look and behave completely differently.
After reading the information in the article, you can find out a lot of interesting things about gibbons.
Anthropoid apes
This family unites highly developed monkeys, which are characterized by rather large sizes, a rudimentary tail and long forelimbs. Sciatic cornea and buccal sacs are absent, and the brain has a rather complex structure. They also have a process of the cecum.
This family consists of three species of monkeys belonging to three genera: gorilla, orangutan and chimpanzee.
The gorilla has a rather large growth, a moderate length of the forelimbs and small ears, as well as 13 pairs of ribs. It is found in the equatorial forests of Africa.
The orangutan is characterized by very elongated jaws, very long forelimbs, small auricles, 12 pairs of ribs and only 3 caudal vertebrae. This species lives on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo and leads a lifestyle mainly arboreal.
The chimpanzee has a relatively small stature and short forelimbs. He has large ears (similar to human) and 13 pairs of ribs. In natural conditions, lives in the forests of the equatorial part of Africa.
Gibbon family
Gibbons are a 13-species monkey family. It consists of medium-sized tree primates, characterized by very long forelimbs, with which they make long jumps, flying from one tree to another. They have no cheek pouches and tail, but they have small sciatic corns.
They approach the humanoid apes (previously they were united into one family) by a number of signs, for example, by the structure of their brain. Today, there are several varieties of gibbons common in Southeast Asia and on some of the Big Sunda Islands (closest to the mainland).
Habitats, lifestyle and disposition
Gibbons (photo of monkeys are presented in the article) live in tropical dense and moist forests of the Sunda Islands (Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan) and Southeast Asia (Burma, India, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia). They rise to the mountainous regions to an altitude of 2000 meters. These monkeys are active only in the daytime.
These are small primates, whose body length is one meter, and the weight does not exceed 10 kilograms. With the help of their strong and long arms, they can move from branch to branch at a distance of ten or more meters. A similar mode of movement (brachyation) is also characteristic of some anthropoid apes.
Some primates of this species have the ability for melodic singing ("singing monkeys"). They live in small family groups, the head of which are male leaders. Gibbon puberty occurs around the age of 5-7 years.
One of the interesting facts is that the baby is born after conception after 210 days, almost naked and with very little weight. Mom wears it on his stomach for about two years, warming it with its warmth.
Description and specifications
Gibbon is a primate, the size of which is small, and body weight in different species varies between 4-8.5 kg. His torso is thin, his head is small, his facial features are small, similar to monkeys. Like a person, they have only 32 teeth, as well as several blood groups - II, III and IV (group I is absent). Some scientists consider them to be the most perfect among apes not humanoid, while others attribute them to primitive humanoid species. Whatever it is, a fairly close genetic relationship connects with the people of these primates.
The body of the gibbon, the photo of which is shown below, is covered with long and thick hair. His bare feet, face, palms and ischiatic calluses. The skin of all types of gibbons is black. Sexual dimorphism in this species of monkeys is not expressed. Most often, the color of the coat is monophonic black with small white marks located on different parts of the body (face, hands and crown of the skull). Often you can meet individuals with light fur: beige or brown.
Nutrition, lifestyle and disposition
Gibbons mainly eat plant foods. The basis of the diet are leaves with flowers, nuts and juicy fruits (bananas, rambutans, tamarinds). Sometimes animals feed on insects, less often eat eggs and chicks. These monkeys do not know how to drink. They dip their hands in water and then lick off all the moisture from their wet coats.
Gibbon is a moving, smart and quick-witted monkey. It can not be called aggressive or harmful. In their free time from games, these monkeys are rather modest and rarely participate in conflicts. The favorite pose of couples during the rest period is to sit hugging.
Most gibbon disputes boil down to protecting the boundaries of their plots. However, even in this case, they prefer not to fight the enemy, but simply to indicate their rights with a voice that has a long and high sound, reminiscent of a wolf howling, sometimes a whistle, and sometimes bird trills.
