Siamang
Did you know?
The arms of a siamangs (say it SIGH-amang) are longer than its legs – up to a five-foot span. Imagine if your arms could reach down to the ground while you were standing up! It makes for good swinging…
Discover Siamangs
Meet our siamangs
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Eating
(and predators!)
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Siamangs eat leaves, fruit, flowers, birds eggs and insects – things that are abundant in rainforests.
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Their main predators are humans and leopards.
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Cling to mama
(Then it's Dad's turn.)
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After a 7-month pregnancy, females give birth to a single baby, who clings to its mother’s belly for the first 3-4 months.
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When it’s around one year old, the father takes over daily care.
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Sleeping in trees
and making noise.
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Siamangs live in family units. They wake at sunrise and search for food all day before returning to sleep in their tree.
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To defend their territory, mated pairs create unique duets of booms, barks and hoots. Listen out for ours in the early morning!
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Protecting Siamangs
THE THREAT: Endangered in the wild, siamangs are losing their habitat to human logging and agriculture. Right now less than 5 per cent of that habitat is protected.
TAKE ACTION: Much of southeast Asia’s rainforest destruction is to make room for palm oil plantations. Check products you use for sustainable palm oil, and encourage companies to make the switch.
Asian forest Stories
“Whoop, Whoooooop, Whoop-whoop!” There’s a new set of sounds heard throughout Point Defiance Park, coming from Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. It’s the sound of two young lar gibbons singing loudly in unison. Also known as white-handed gibbons, they are an endangered primate in the gibbon family with around 15,000 currently living in the wild. … Continued
Shannon Smith stands outside on a fall day, calling out encouragement. “Foot!” she requests. Across the yard, her “buddy” of 24 years slowly lifts a leg, then puts it back down. “Good!” exclaims Smith, and offers an apple slice. It’s exercise time at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, and Smith is leading Suki the elderly … Continued
How does it feel to be the oldest siamang? Well, for Cho Cho, snuggled up with his companion Dudlee on a crisp fall morning at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, it seemed pretty cozy. This year Cho Cho is celebrating his 54th birthday – which makes him the oldest siamang on record in human care … Continued
