Animal
Agile gibbon
Long arms, family life and daytime activity in the canopy of Asian forests.
Langue du contenu
An agile gibbon's long arms and fingers are adapted for movement high in the treetops. It has no tail, and its limbs largely define its silhouette. In the wild it inhabits the wet tropical forests of Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. This world above the ground supplies resting places, travel routes and food. The animal climbs and leaps skilfully between supports.
The agile gibbon is active during the day. Fruit, leaves and flowers dominate its diet, sometimes supplemented with insects. Its fur may be black or brownish grey. Both sexes can have white eyebrows, while adult males have distinctive pale cheeks. These small colour details help distinguish agile gibbons from other gibbons.
The family forms a small group. Usually one infant is born, receiving prolonged maternal care and staying with the group until it reaches maturity. For an animal of the canopy, forest loss means much more than losing shade: supports for movement, hiding places and food trees disappear. The shrinking of natural habitat is the principal threat to wild agile gibbons.
Pour les enfants
An agile gibbon has very long arms and fingers. These help it move skilfully through the treetops. It has no tail. Its wild home is in the tropical forests of Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula.
During the day it looks for fruit, leaves and flowers. It sometimes eats insects too. Its fur may be dark or brownish grey, with white eyebrows above the eyes. Males also have pale cheeks.
Agile gibbons live in small families. Usually one baby is born and stays with its mother and the rest of the group for a long time. Trees are their whole world: they provide food, resting places and supports for travelling. When people cut down the forest, a family loses all these things at once. Protecting its forest home is therefore especially important.
Question 1 sur 2
What dominates an agile gibbon’s diet?
- Emplacement
- Enclosure marked with the animal’s name within the zoo