A gibbon of Southeast Asian forests. It swings between branches using its long arms.
Its hands and feet are white, with a pale ring around the face. Body fur varies from dark black or brown to pale cream.
At Khao Yai National Park in Thailand, researchers recorded the great calls of nine wild female white-handed gibbons and compared each animal’s voice across years. Gibbons produce coordinated male-female songs that can reach nearby and more distant groups. The female great call is the longest and most conspicuous phrase in their vocal repertoire. Researchers recorded calls in summer from 2013 to 2019, except in 2018, and compared five or six years of recordings for each female.
Both the overall song structure and its high-pitched climax remained stable within each individual over six years. Great calls are thought to have a role in defending territory. The long-lasting vocal features fit the idea that a song could let distant listeners recognize its caller.
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species · Endangered (EN) · Global
The 2020 global IUCN Red List entry classifies the white-handed gibbon as Endangered (EN) and records a decreasing population trend. Its assessment cites an estimated decline of more than 50% over the past three generations (about 45 years), linked to forest loss and degradation, hunting, and capture for the pet and photo-prop trade.