- Lar Gibbon
Taxobox
name = Lar GibbonMSW3 Groves|pages=179-180|id=12100761]
status = EN
status_system = iucn3.1
they live in Burma
trend = unknown
status_ref = IUCN2006|assessors=Eudey "et al"|year=2000|id=10548|title=Hylobates lar|downloaded=11 May 2006 ]
image_width = 240px
regnum =Animal ia
phylum =Chordata
classis =Mammal ia
ordo =Primate s
familia =Hylobatidae
genus = "Hylobates "
species = "H. lar"
binomial = "Hylobates lar"
binomial_authority = (Linnaeus, 1771)The Lar Gibbon ("Hylobates lar"), also known as the White-handed Gibbon, is a
primate in theHylobatidae orgibbon family. It is one of the more well-known gibbons and is often seen in zoos.Range
The range of the Lar Gibbon historically extended from southwest
China and easternMyanmar toThailand andBurma down the wholeMalay Peninsula . It is also present in the northwest portion of the island ofSumatra . In recent decades, especially the continental range has been reduced and fragmented, and the animals areextinct in China. [cite press release
publisher=University of Zurich
date=15.05.2008
url=http://www.mediadesk.unizh.ch/mitteilung.php?text_id=294&grp=aktuell
title=Weisshandgibbons in China ausgestorben
accessdate=Monday, May 19, 2008]Appearance
The fur coloring of the Lar Gibbon varies from black and dark-brown to light brown sandy colors. The hands and feet are white colored, likewise a ring of white hair surrounds the black face. Both males and females can have all color variants, and the sexes also hardly differ in size. As is the case for all gibbons, they have long hands and no tail.
Diet
The diet of the Lar Gibbon is mainly
fruits andleaves , but it will also eatbuds ,flowers ,birds andinsects Behavior
Lar Gibbons are diurnal and
arboreal , inhabiting rain forests. They rarely come on ground, but they use their long arms to brachiate through the trees. With their hooked hands they can move swiftly with great momentum, swinging from the branches. Traditionally thought to form lifelong monogamous pairings, long-term studies conducted inKhao Yai National Park in Thailand suggest that their mating system is somewhat flexible, incorporating extra-pair copulations, partner changes andpolyandrous groupings. [cite book | author = Sommer, V. & Reichard, U. | year = 2000 | chapter = Rethinking Monogamy: The Gibbon Case | title = Primate Males | editor = P. Kappeler, ed. | location = Cambridge | publisher = Cambridge University Press | pages = 159-168] The family groups inhabit a firm territory, which they protect by warding off other gibbons with their calls.Reproduction
Sexually they are similar to other gibbons. Gestation is seven months long and pregnancies are usually of a single young. Young are nursed for approximately two years, and full maturity comes at about 8 years. The life expectancy of the Lar Gibbons in the wild is about 25 years.
tatus
Lar Gibbons are threatened in various ways: they are sometimes hunted for their meat, sometimes a parent is killed in order to capture young animals for pets. The largest danger, however, is the loss of habitat. With breathtaking speed the forests of
Southeast Asia are cut down in order to establish plantations, fields and settlements. National parks and protected areas exist, but are often poorly supervised.ubspecies
There are five subspecies of Lar Gibbon:cite web | last = Geissmann | first = Thomas | title = Gibbon Systematics and Species Identification | url = http://gibbons.de/main/system/intro.html | accessdate = 2006-04-13]
*Malaysian Lar Gibbon , "Hylobates lar lar"
*Carpenter's Lar Gibbon , "Hylobates lar carpenteri"
*Central Lar Gibbon , "Hylobates lar entelloides"
*Sumatran Lar Gibbon , "Hylobates lar vestitus"
*Yunnan Lar Gibbon , "Hylobates lar yunnanensis" (possibly extinct)References
External links
*ARKive - [http://www.arkive.org/species/GES/mammals/Hylobates_lar/ images and movies of the white-handed gibbon "(Hylobates lar)"]
* [http://www.gibbons.de/main/photo/03lar.html Lar Gibbon photos]
* [http://www.gibbons.de/main/sound/03lar.html Lar Gibbon songs]
* [http://www.gibboncenter.org/ Gibbon Conservation Center]
* [http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Hylobates_lar.html Lar Gibbon] at "Animal Diversity Web"
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