They are "human beings' loneliest relatives". Let's enter the "ape" universe together today!

Today is International Gibbon Day

It was established by the World Conservation Union (IUCN)

Gibbons are a species of monkey distributed in

Tailless primates of Southeast Asia

I believe everyone has recited it when they were young.

"The monkeys on both sides of the river are crying, and the boat has passed thousands of mountains."

The "ape" in the poem refers to the gibbon

Enter the "Ape" Universe Together

Get to know the world of gibbons!

Image source: Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo official account

Why do gibbons have such long arms?

Gibbons are a type of tailless primate distributed in Southeast Asia. They are known for their long arms and no tail, their wandering in the woods, their monogamy, the different colors of males and females, and their loud calls.

Image source: Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo official account

The upper limbs of gibbons are significantly longer than their lower limbs.

The shoulder and wrist joints are extremely flexible ball and socket joints.

This joint structure allows gibbons to

Using a unique large swinging style to move extremely fast

Wandering in the upper canopy

Like wind and lightning

Image source: Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo official account

Gibbons mostly live in pristine evergreen broad-leaved forests and tropical rainforests with well-preserved vegetation. The disappearance of gibbons in a certain place means that the ecosystem in that area has been severely damaged.

Gibbons mainly feed on fruits, supplemented by plant foods such as young leaves, flowers, stems, and very small amounts of animal foods such as insects, bird eggs, baby birds, and lizards.

There are currently six species of Gibbon distributed in my country, namely the western black-crested gibbon, the eastern black-crested gibbon, the Hainan gibbon, the northern white-cheeked gibbon, the white-handed gibbon and the Gaoligong white-browed gibbon.

Image source: National Zoological Museum

The western black-crested gibbon is distributed in central to southern Yunnan, my country.

Northern Vietnam and Northwestern Laos

Image source: National Zoological Museum

The Eastern black crested gibbon was historically distributed in southern China and northern Vietnam east of the Red River. It was once thought to be extinct in China since the 1950s.

In September 2006, three populations of Eastern black-crested gibbons were discovered in China.

In July 2009, the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region approved the establishment of the Guangxi Bangliangdong Black-crested Gibbon Autonomous Region-level Nature Reserve.

Image source: National Zoological Museum

The Hainan black-crested gibbon is the only endemic gibbon in my country. It is only distributed in the Bawangling Nature Reserve in Hainan, my country and is the most endangered primate in the world.

Image source: National Zoological Museum

The northern white-cheeked gibbon is a national first-class protected animal.

The IUCN lists it as critically endangered

Image source: National Zoological Museum

Like the northern white-cheeked gibbon, the white-handed gibbon may have become extinct in the wild in China. It was once distributed in Cangyuan, Ximeng and Menglian counties in Yunnan.

Image source: National Zoological Museum

The Gaoligong white-browed gibbon is only distributed in the southern section of Gaoligong Mountain west of the Nujiang River, Longyang District of Baoshan City, Tengchong County and Yingjiang County of Dehong Prefecture. Like many newly discovered species, the Gaoligong white-browed gibbon became an endangered species as soon as it was named.

The number of gibbons is less than one-tenth of that of giant pandas.

According to the classification of the World Conservation Union (IUCN),

Currently distributed in Yunnan and Guangxi in my country

and six species of gibbons in Hainan Province

Four species are listed as critically endangered.

The Hainan gibbon is the most endangered of them and one of the 25 endangered primate species in the world. Its endangered level is comparable to that of the "national treasures" giant panda and crested ibis. Some people call it "humankind's loneliest relative."

How to save gibbons? Learn the language of apes!

To save gibbons, we must first restore their habitat, replant and renew tree species, gradually clear economic forests, and restore the ecological environment of tropical rainforests. At the same time, we can also use their calls to provide protection.

Image source: Yunshan Protection

Calling is a typical behavior of gibbons. Gibbons have the habit of calling in the early morning. The calls are loud and clear and can be heard from several kilometers away.

The main functions of gibbon calls are isolation between groups, group positioning, resource defense (such as territory, food resources or mates), group formation and maintenance, mate attraction, mate stability and publicity of mate information.

Therefore, the academic community often uses it as a test subject for the "passive acoustic monitoring system". By tracking these "ape languages", we can grasp their numbers and distribution, and thus know how to provide corresponding protection.

Compared with infrared cameras, acoustic monitoring can provide a more accurate and timely understanding of gibbons' dynamics because they prefer to move around in high tree canopies, almost never come down to the ground in their entire lives, and their movements are agile and quick.

Source: Yunshan Conservation, National Zoological Museum, Beijing Zoo

Compiled by: Dong Xiaoxian

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Editor: Muzi