Houston Zoo welcomes northern gibbon for first time

First up is the Houston Zoo! A male northern gibbon was born to first-time parents Tin and Max on May 30. This is the first time this species has been born at the Houston Zoo. Guests can see the new family of monkeys next to de his brazza in the Wertham World of Primates. The mother-infant bond is going well at this point, but the first few weeks are very important and the animal care team is keeping a close eye on this pairing. A keeper who has dedicated his life to caring for gibbons gets the honor of naming a newborn gibbon.

The northern gibbon is endangered in the wild and is native to Southeast Asia, Vietnam, and southern China. Their numbers have declined by 80% over the past 45 years, mainly due to habitat loss and poaching.

Greater gibbons have many unique traits, including dimorphism in fur color. This means that white-cheeked gibbons are naturally cream-colored and turn black when they are about two years old. At this point their iconic white cheek spots appear. Males remain black, while females revert to a cream color.

Another way to distinguish gibbons from other primates is by their very long arms. Great-white gibbons have the longest arms of any primate relative to their body size. In fact, their arms are longer than their legs, which helps them jump from tree to tree.

Guests can help save wild primates around the world by visiting the zoo. A portion of each zoo membership and admission ticket supports the zoo’s wildlife conservation efforts in Asia, Africa and South America. The Houston Zoo helps deploy anti-poaching patrols to help protect and restore habitats. reforestation A community-led initiative, it provides specialized veterinary care for the healing and rehabilitation of sick and injured primates.