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Siamang - HYLOBATES SYNDACTYLUS

Endangered

Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
Subclass: True Mammals (Eutheria)
Order: First Order Mammals (Primatea)
Family: Hylobatidae.

The word "Siamang": "Siamang" is a Malay word for the animal.

Location: Sumatra and Malaysia in southeast Asia.

Habitat: Arboreal. Tropical forest at an altitude of 2000-7000 feet.

Description: Like the other gibbons, the coat is very dense and long. The fur of the siamang is black and has dark red on the eyebrows. Its arms are very long (up to 4 ft), its head is small, and it has no tail. The second and third toes of the hind feet are joined together by a fold of skin. The siamang has a laryngeal sac under its chin. This sac is hairless and puffs up when sounds are emitted, like a bullfrog. This animal reaches about three feet long and weighs up to thirty pounds.

Behavior: The siamang feeds on leaves, fruit, and other plant matter, often hanging by one long arm while reaching with the other. Like other gibbons it is nimble in the trees. In spite of their great locomotor skills, however, the rapidity and energy of their movements is such that broken bones do occur from time to time. When it descends to the ground, which is an extremely rare occurrence, it walks in an upright position. It lives in a family group, which has its specific territory. This is marked with shrill cries that resemble barking. The female initiates the cries and the male then joins in.

Reproduction: Gestation lasts for about 7 months and the female usually delivers a single offspring, which she nurses for several months.