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Gibbon Facts & Worksheets

Also known as lesser apes, gibbons of the family Hylobatidae thrive in subtropical and tropical rainforests in Southeast Asia.

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Also known as lesser apes, gibbons of the family Hylobatidae thrive in subtropical and tropical rainforests in Southeast Asia. Highly adapted to arboreal life, gibbons are distinguished as masters of brachiation, swinging from one branch to another for airborne distances of up to 50 feet at speeds as fast as 35 meters per hour.

See the fact file below for more information on the gibbons or alternatively, you can download our 20-page Gibbon worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

TAXONOMY

  • Gibbons are grouped into four genera according to their diploid chromosome number: Hylobates (44), Hoolock (38), Nomascus (52), and Symphalangus (50).
  • The genus Bunopithecus, which is either a gibbon or gibbon-like ape, and the Junzi are considered the fifth and sixth, although already extinct.
  • A number of gibbons are difficult to identify based on their fur coloration, so they are distinguished either by song or genetics. These morphological ambiguities have resulted in hybrids of gibbons held in captivity.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

  • One distinct feature of a gibbon’s anatomy is its wrist, which acts like a ball and socket joint, letting the mammal perform biaxial movements. This characteristic greatly lessens the amount of energy required in the upper arm and torso, while decreasing stress on the shoulder joint.
  • They have slender hands and feet, with a deep cleft between the first and second digits of their hands.
  • Their coat is usually black, gray, or brown in color, with white coloration on the hands, feet, and face.
  • Some species, such as the siamang, have a prominent throat sac, which inflates and functions as a resonating chamber when the mammal vocalizes. This feature can be quite large in some species, sometimes reaching the size of the gibbon’s head.
  • Gibbon skulls and teeth are similar to those of great apes, and their noses resemble those of all catarrhine primates.
  • The siamang, the largest gibbon species, is known for having two fingers on each foot stuck together, causing its generic and specific names Symphalangus and syndactylus.

BEHAVIOR AND DIET

  • Like all primates, gibbons are gregarious animals. They are strongly territorial and protect their area with powerful visual and vocal displays. Their vocalizations, which can often be heard for up to 0.6 miles, are composed of a duet between a mated couple, with their young sometimes joining in. In most species, males and some females sing individually to call the attention of some males, as well as promote their territories. The song can be used to recognize not only singing gibbon species, but also the territory from which it originates.
  • Gibbons are often sexually monogamous throughout their lives, although there are instances when they do not stay with their mating partners.
  • In addition to extra-pair copulations, pair-bonded gibbons rarely separate.
  • They are one of nature’s best brachiators, considered the fastest and most agile of all tree-dwelling, non-flying mammals. Their specialized wrists let them swing through trees at high speed. Their mode of transportation can result in hazards when a branch breaks or a hand slips, and studies show that most gibbons experience bone fractures once or more.
  • Their diet is 60% fruit-based, but they also feed on twigs, leaves, insects, flowers, and sometimes bird eggs.

CONSERVATION STATUS

  • The majority of gibbons are classified as endangered or critically endangered species, primarily threatened by degradation or loss of their forest habitats.
  • In Phuket, Thailand, a volunteer-based Gibbon Rehabilitation Center preserves and protects rescued gibbons that were kept in captivity, and are being returned back to their natural habitats. The Kalaweit Project in Borneo and Sumatra also performs this conservation measure.
  • Dutch sinologist Robert van Gulik proposed that gibbons were widely distributed in central and southern China until at least the Song dynasty, and according to an analysis of references to primates in Chinese literature and their portrayal in Chinese paintings, the Chinese word yuán particularly referred to gibbons until they were eliminated throughout most regions of the country due the destruction of their habitats. In modern usage, the term yuán is a generic word for ape. Ancient Chinese writers thought of the “noble” gibbons that gracefully swung high in the treetops as the “gentlemen” of the forest, in contrast to the greedy macaques that were easily attracted by human food. Taoists correlated occult properties to gibbons, assuming they were capable of living for hundreds of years and becoming human beings.
  • Gibbon figurines, as old as from the fourth to third centuries BCE, have been discovered in China. Gibbons became a famous subject for Chinese painters, especially during the Song dynasty and the early Yuan dynasty, when Yì Yuánjí and Mùqī Fǎcháng painted these apes. From Chinese cultural influence, the Zen concept of the “gibbon grasping at the reflection of the moon in the water” turned out to be a popular Japanese art, though these apes never occurred naturally in Japan.

Gibbon Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the gibbons across 20 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Gibbon worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the gibbons of the family Hylobatidae which thrive in subtropical and tropical rainforests in Southeast Asia. Highly adapted to arboreal life, gibbons are distinguished as masters of brachiation, swinging from one branch to another for airborne distances of up to 50 feet at speeds as fast as 35 meters per hour.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Gibbon Facts
  • Lesser Apes
  • Growing Up a Gibbon
  • Gibbon Wiki
  • Group the Gibbons
  • Facts Only
  • Ape Family
  • Art of Brachiating
  • Word Search
  • How They Walk
  • Gibbon Recap

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Link will appear as Gibbon Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, May 4, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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