White Cheeked Gibbon

Northern White-cheeked Gibbon
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Nomascus leucogenys•
Classification What groups does this

organism belong to based on characteristics
shared with other organisms?
Class: Mammalia (all mammals)
Order: Primates (prosimians, monkeys, apes,
humans)
Family: Hylobatidae(gibbons and lesser apes)
Genus: Nomascus (crested gibbons)
Species: Nomascus leucogenys (Northern white
cheeked gibbon)
Distribution Where in the world does

this species live?
Nomascus leucogenys is better known as the
white-cheeked gibbon. This species is found
only in Southeast Asia. They primarily populate
Laos, Vietnam, and Southern China. In Vietnam
white-cheeked gibbons are found to the southwest of the Song Ma and Song Bo Rivers.
Habitat What kinds of areas does this species live in?

They live in the canopy of subtropical rainforests and prefer lowland forests with more diversity of fruit
trees. However more recently with habitat loss most of these gibbons live above 700 meters.White-
cheeked gibbons hardly ever descend to the forest floor.
Physical Description How would this animal’s body shape and size be described?
• Gibbons are small apes with very long arms and no tail. Nomascus leucogenys are not sexually
dimorphic for size, but are for color.
• Males and females are 45-63 cm (18-25 in) long and weigh and average of 5.7 kg.(12.5 lb).
• All infants are born with cream-colored fur. At two years of age, the infants’ fur changes from
cream to black, and they develop white patches on their cheeks.
• At sexual maturity, males stay black with white cheeks. Females turn back to the original cream
or pale yellow/yellow color and they lose the majority of their white cheek color, except for a thin
white face ring. Females also have a black to brown crown streak
• They have exceptionally long forelimbs and hindlimbs. Their bodies are built for an arboreal
lifestyle.
• They have an opposable hallux (innermost digit of the hind foot) and opposable pollex (thumb),
and their hands are hook-shaped, for grasping food and branches
• Their bodies are small with an upright posture.
• The fur in both sexes is long and rather coarse. The crown hair is erect and rather elongated.
1
Proprietary to Denver Zoological Foundation
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Diet What does this species eat?

In their historic range: Nomascus leucogenys are primarily frugivouous, with fruit comprising 39% of
their diet .They especially enjoy eating the pulp of fruits. They are important seed dispensers for some
plants. Along with fruit, a large portion of their diet consists of leaves and shoots( 36%),and they also
eat flowers, and insects. The type of food they eat depends on precipitation. When it is wet, fruit is
plentiful, and they don’t have to travel far. But with little rainfall, they travel great distances in search of
food.
At the zoo: Gibbons are fed greens, vegetables, low starch biscuits, konjac gel, and some fruit for
training.
Predators What eats this species?

The main threat to white-cheeked gibbons is forest clearing , and therefore their main predator is
humans, who also hunt them for food. Otherwise not much is known about other specific predators, but
eagles, owls and panthers are known to prey on other gibbon species who live in the canopy.
Social Organization How does this animal interact with others of its species?
White-cheeked gibbons live in small families comprising a male adult and a female adult that mate
monogamously. They usually have three to four offspring within the group. There is an hierarchy among
the family. The female is dominant followed by her female offspring, male offspring, and the adult male
is last. Nomascus leucogenys individuals spend much of their free time playing and grooming. They are
territorial and live in an area that spans about seventy-five to one hundred acres, and they defend their
territory.
Life Cycle How does this species mate, raise young, grow and develop?
White-cheeked gibbons become sexually mature at about six to seven years of age. At this point,
females have a menstrual cycle that lasts about twenty-eight days. They breed throughout the year.
After a gestation period of seven months, a single infant is born. The infant stays with the mother for
nearly two years, after which it is weaned. White cheeked gibbon offspring will stay with the family
group until it becomes independent between 3-8 years. Females bear young every 2-3 years and infant
care is shared between the male and female of the monogamous pair.
Adaptations What physical and behavioral characteristics enable this animal to survive and thrive?
• Nomascus leucogenys, have exceptionally long forelimbs and hindlimbs. Their bodies are
built for an arboreal lifestyle. They have opposable hallux (inner toe) and pollex
(thumb)
making grasping food and holding branches easy.
• Furthermore, their hands are hook shaped, facilitating brachiation (moving through the
trees by grasping and swinging from branch to branch by the arms), and allowing them to
remain suspended for feeding in the terminal branches where the most nutritious flowers
and fruits are most abundant. .
• White cheeked gibbons have melodic songs with long, pure notes rising and falling in a
great call. Individuals signal territory by using vocalizations. They also use vocalizations in
mating behaviors. Males and females participate in elaborate duets; the male emits
2
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
booms and multi-modulated phrases and the female gives rapid great calls with rising
notes, 20-27 notes, 13-15 seconds, with the male coda at the end.
• In order to signal aggression, these gibbons resort to the common threat of opening their
mouth wide to show their teeth.
• White-cheeked gibbons spend much of their time grooming and playing. Grooming and
playing allow individual gibbons to form bonds. It is also likely that chemical cues, such as
pheromones are used to communicate reproductive status.
• Unlike other primates, white-cheeked gibbons do not sleep during the day; they search for
food throughout the day, starting high in the canopy early in the morning and retreat to
the lower tree understory when the canopy heats up.
• These gibbons will travel far in search of food when there is little rainfall.
Collection Connection
Denver Zoo has one Northern white-cheeked gibbon resident in Anschutz Foundation Gibbon
Islands area of Toyota Elephant Passage named Vinh. She lives with her companion Briscoe.
He and Vinh are different species of gibbon but they get along well. Since social interaction is
important for primates, this pairing allows both Briscoe and Vinh to have that bond.
Vinh knows multiple behaviors that help keepers care for her. She has been trained to present
various body parts for physical exams and to tolerate a syringe and allow injections. Vinh also
cooperates to sit on a scale. Another important part of her training has been to learn to shift to
and from her outdoor exhibit.
Conservation Status Is this animal at risk for extinction and why?

IUCN Status: Critically endangered
White-cheeked gibbons’ numbers in the wild are unknown, but suspected to be declining, and it
is known that a related species are endangered due to deforestation, logging, hunting and
military activities. As of 2015, there are 87 animals (48 males, 38 females, and one unknown
gender) at 27 AZA facilities and one non AZA facility. White-cheeked gibbons are part of an AZA-
formed SSP, but Vinh and Jing Chi were not planned to be a breeding pair.
Resources and Where to Learn More

University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/
National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison”

http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/fact-sheets/entry/white-cheeked_gibbon
3
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Geissman, T. 2002, Taxonomy and Evolution of Gibbons. Evolution Anthropology,Volume

11/Issue S1: 28-3
4

White Cheeked Gibbon

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

White Cheeked Gibbon

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

White Cheeked Gibbon

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Northern White-cheeked Gibbon

Classification What groups does this

Distribution Where in the world does

Habitat What kinds of areas does this species live in?

Diet What does this species eat?

Predators What eats this species?

Conservation Status Is this animal at risk for extinction and why?

Resources and Where to Learn More

National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison”

Geissman, T. 2002, Taxonomy and Evolution of Gibbons. Evolution Anthropology,Volume

You might also like