Pileated Gibbon (Hylobates pileatus)

MORPHOLOGY:
This species has relatively long forearms which assist it in suspensory behavior. This species has throat sac located beneath the chin to help enhance the calls. The pileated gibbon lacks a tail, caudal vertebrae. The males have a black pelage color with white hands and white hair around the head. The pelage color of the female ranges from buffy colored to silver-gray with a black chest.

RANGE:
The pileated gibbon is found in the countries of Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. This species is found in semideciduous monsoon forests and tropical evergreen forests.

ECOLOGY:
The pileated gibbon is a frugivorous species, but will also consume immature leaves, flowers, and insects. The pileated gibbon prefers to consume fruits high in sugar such as the fig (Ficus). This an arboreal and a diurnal species. This species sleeps and rests in the emergent trees (Leighton, 1987).

LOCOMOTION:
The pileated gibbon is a true brachiator which means it moves by suspensory behavior (Fleagle, 1988). The brachiation is of a type where the pileated gibbon throws itself from tree to tree over gaps of 10 meters or more using there arms (Fleagle, 1988). This species also climbs when moving slowly and feeding (Fleagle, 1988). This species is also able to move for short distances by bipedalism (Fleagle, 1988).

SOCIAL BEHAVIOR:
The pileated gibbon has a monogamous mating and social system. The basic group structure is the breeding pair and their offspring. Both males and females emigrate from their natal group around adolescence. This is a territorial species. Polygyny can occur in this species, and where it is sympatric with Hylobates lar, some groups have females of both species.

VOCAL COMMUNICATION:
duetting: These are vocalizations which occur between the breeding male and female, and is dominated by the female. This vocalization is important because it helps to maintain the pair bond between the breeding pair and also it helps to establish and maintain the territory.

OLFACTORY COMMUNICATION:

VISUAL COMMUNICATION:

TACTILE COMMUNICATION:
social grooming: This is when one individual grooms another and is used to reinforce the bonds between individuals.

REPRODUCTION:
The pileated gibbon gives birth to a single offspring.

REFERENCES:
Burton, Frances. 1995. The Multimedia Guide to the Non-human Primates. Prentice-Hall Canada Inc.

Fleagle, John G. 1988. Primate Adaptation and Evolution. Academic Press.

Leighton, D.R. 1987. Gibbons: Territoriality and Monogamy. In Primate Societies. eds. B.B. Smuts, D.L. Cheney, R.M. Seyfarth, R.W. Wrangham, and T.T. Struhsaker. University of Chicago Press.

Last Updated: October 8, 2003.
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