Lar gibbon
Did you know?
Hylobates lar
Lar gibbons – also known as white-handed gibbons – are some of the most athletic primates on the planet. They can swing up to 26 feet between branches!
Discover Gibbons
Habitat
Wild and Zoo.
Lar gibbons live in Southeast Asia from Indonesia to Thailand. They live in the high canopy of tropical forests and are rarely found in the understory. Find ours rotating through exhibits in the Asian Forest Sanctuary.
Asian Forest Sanctuary
Meet the keepers.
(They don't bite!)
Our zookeepers give a chat daily. Bring all your questions!
Zookeeper Life: Sam
Meet our gibbons
Orion
Aries
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Eating
(Fruit & veg.)
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Some of their favorite foods include red pepper, spinach, grapes and bananas.
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In the wild, lar gibbons mainly eat fruits, especially figs which can make up half their diet, leaves, buds, flowers and insects.
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Singing
Jungle songs.
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Lar gibbons love to sing - ours do it several times a day, for up to 30 minutes.
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In the wild, their distinctive song, enhanced by a sound-amplifying throat sac, can be heard over half-a-mile away.
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Forever young
(and playful.)
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Gibbons have one of the longest juvenile periods among nonhuman primates, maturing at 8-12 years.
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They love to play and are very athletic, doing back flips through the air while swinging or somersaults on the ground.
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Protecting lar gibbons
Vanishing rainforests.
Lar gibbons are endangered in the wild. They are hunted for food and the illegal pet trade. Another threat is deforestation: Much of Southeast Asia’s rainforest is being destroyed to make room for palm oil plantations. You can help save the species by checking the products you use for sustainable palm oil and encouraging companies to make the switch.
asian Forest stories
Who's Nearby?
Spotted our gibbons? Then look for our clouded leopards! Find them in their leafy habitat just uphill from the other Asian Forest Sanctuary habitats.