Skip to main content

Siamang

Did you know?

Symphalangus syndactylus

The arms of a siamang (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

Habitat
Wild and Zoo
Siamangs are primates that live in the treetops of tropical rainforests in Sumatra and on the Malay Peninsula. Find ours in the Asian Forest Sanctuary
Asian Forest Sanctuary
Meet the Keeper
(Ask primate questions.)
Keepers in our Asian Forest Sanctuary give a chat daily. Ask questions about each animal, and find out how our zoo team feeds and cares for them.
Zookeeper Life: Sam

Meet our siamangs

Dudlee
Remy
Eating
(and predators!)
Siamangs eat leaves, fruit, flowers, birds eggs and insects – things that are abundant in rainforests.
Their main predators are humans and leopards.
Cling to mama
(Then it's Dad's turn.)
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.
When it’s around one year old, the father takes over daily care.
Sleeping in trees
and making noise.
Siamangs live in family units. They wake at sunrise and search for food all day before returning to sleep in their tree.
To defend their territory, mated pairs create unique duets of booms, barks and hoots. Listen out for ours in the early morning!

Protecting Siamangs

Don’t cut down my trees.

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

Zoo Bamboo

It’s one of the fastest-growing plants in the world. It’s used for buildings, dishes, musical instruments. It’s food for animals and people. And there are over 45 types at Point … Continued

Read More
The tiniest buffalo

If the tiger is the king of the jungle, then the anoa would be the gardener. They’re not iconic like an elephant or acrobatic like a siamang. They don’t star … Continued

Read More
Tapirs Together Again!

What’s that sound? It’s the tapirs together again, sharing a habitat in the Asian Forest Sanctuary. Yuna (female) and Baku (male) know each other by smell and sound, but usually … Continued

Read More
Who's Nearby?
Spotted our siamang? Then look for our lar gibbons! Find them rotating around the other Asian Forest Sanctuary habitats.