# White-handed Gibbon (*Hylobates lar*) > The white-handed gibbon (Hylobates lar) is a small, tailless ape of the rainforest canopy in Thailand, Malaysia, and Sumatra. Weighing only 5 to 7 kg, it swings through the treetops by its long arms and can move at up to 56 km/h. Pairs are famous for their loud, musical duets and can live 25 to 30 years in the wild. The species is listed as Endangered. - **Category:** Mammal - **Conservation status (IUCN):** Endangered - **Range:** White-handed gibbon in Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra, and peninsular Southeast Asian rainforests. - **Canonical page:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/gibbon/ - **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16 ## Scientific classification - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Mammalia - **Order:** Primates - **Family:** Hylobatidae - **Genus:** Hylobates ## Facts at a glance | Attribute | Value | | --- | --- | | Scientific name | Hylobates lar | | Diet | Frugivore — ripe fruit, leaves, flowers, and insects | | Habitat | Tropical rainforests of Thailand, Malaysia, and Sumatra | | Lifespan | 25–30 years in the wild | | Weight | 5–7 kg (11–15 lb); males and females similar size | | Top speed | Up to 56 km/h (35 mph) when brachiating | | Conservation status | Endangered (IUCN) | ## Life in the canopy White-handed gibbons spend almost their entire lives high in the rainforest canopy, rarely coming down to the ground. Their long arms, hook-like hands, and lightweight bodies of just 5 to 7 kg make them supremely agile among the branches. They are not monkeys but small apes, lacking a tail and instead relying on balance and their powerful shoulders to move. Their fur ranges from cream to dark brown, but the hands and feet are always pale, giving the species its name. ## Brachiation: swinging through the trees Gibbons are the fastest and most acrobatic of the tree-swinging apes, moving by a hand-over-hand technique called brachiation. Swinging beneath the branches, a white-handed gibbon can travel at up to 56 km/h and clear gaps of several metres in a single leap. Its ball-and-socket wrist joint lets the hand rotate freely, so momentum carries it smoothly from one hold to the next. This graceful, gravity-defying travel is far more efficient than climbing for an animal living in the treetops. ## Singing duets White-handed gibbons are among the most vocal of all apes, and mated pairs perform elaborate morning duets that ring through the forest. The female typically leads with a rising, whooping call known as the great call, while the male adds his own phrases. These songs advertise the pair's bond and warn rival gibbons away from their territory. A duet can carry for over a kilometre through dense rainforest, letting neighbours locate one another without meeting. ## Diet and daily routine Gibbons are mainly frugivores, favouring ripe fruit and supplementing it with young leaves, flowers, and the occasional insect. They forage by day, moving through a familiar home range and often returning to favourite fruiting trees. Because they seek out ripe fruit scattered across the canopy, they range widely each day in search of the best food. In the cool of midday they rest high in the branches before feeding again in the afternoon. ## Family life White-handed gibbons live in small family groups built around a bonded adult pair and their offspring. Both parents help defend the territory, and young gibbons stay with the family for several years before leaving to find mates of their own. A single infant is born after a long gestation and clings to its mother as she swings through the canopy. In the wild these apes can live 25 to 30 years, growing slowly and investing heavily in each youngster. ## Why it is endangered The white-handed gibbon is listed as Endangered by the IUCN, and its numbers are falling. The greatest threat is the loss of tropical rainforest to logging, agriculture, and palm-oil plantations, which fragments the continuous canopy these apes depend on. Gibbons are also captured for the illegal pet trade, with infants often taken after their mothers are killed. Protecting large, connected areas of intact rainforest is essential to their survival. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is a gibbon a monkey or an ape? A gibbon is an ape, not a monkey. Like other apes it has no tail, and it belongs to the group known as the lesser apes, which are smaller and more agile than the great apes such as gorillas and chimpanzees. ### How fast can a gibbon move through the trees? A white-handed gibbon can swing through the canopy at up to 56 km/h (35 mph) using a hand-over-hand motion called brachiation. It can also leap several metres between branches in a single bound. ### Why do gibbons sing? Mated pairs sing loud, musical duets to strengthen their bond and to warn rival gibbons away from their territory. The songs can carry more than a kilometre through the forest, allowing neighbouring pairs to locate each other. ### What do white-handed gibbons eat? They are mainly frugivores, feeding on ripe fruit and adding young leaves, flowers, and the occasional insect to their diet. They travel widely through the canopy each day to reach fruiting trees. ### How long do gibbons live? White-handed gibbons typically live 25 to 30 years in the wild. They mature slowly and raise their young over several years within a close family group. ### Why are gibbons endangered? White-handed gibbons are Endangered mainly because of the loss and fragmentation of their rainforest habitat to logging, farming, and palm-oil plantations. They are also captured for the illegal pet trade, which further reduces wild populations. ## Sources - [IUCN Red List — Hylobates lar.](https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?query=Hylobates%20lar&searchType=species) - [Animal Diversity Web — Hylobates lar. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Hylobates_lar/) --- Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/gibbon/). 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