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All About Siamangs

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The siamang is the largest and darkest species of gibbon. Siamangs are rare, small,
slender, long-armed, tree-dwelling (lesser) apes. These very acrobatic primates live in
southeast Asia.
Siamangs are arboreal; they spend most of their lives in trees. Because they are so
dextrous while moving in the trees, almost no predators can catch them. The siamang
is one of nine species of gibbons. The siamang is the largest, darkest, and noisiest
species of gibbon. Because of the rapid deforestation of their habitats, gibbons are an
endangered species.
ANATOMY
Siamangs are very small and lightweight. They have a small, round head, very long
arms (the arms are longer than the legs), and a short, slender body. Siamangs, like all
gibbons, have lightweight bones. Like all apes, they have no tail.
Hair:
Siamangs are covered with long, dense, shaggy, black hair on most of their body
(except their face, fingers, palms, armpits, and bottoms of their feet). Siamangs are the
darkest type of gibbon.
Senses:
Siamangs have senses very similar to ours, including hearing, sight (including color
vision), smell, taste, and touch.
Face:
Siamangs have an almost hairless face; they have a slight mustache and beard. They
have dark eyes, small nostrils, and jet-black skin.
Hands and Feet:
Siamangs' hands are very much like ours; they have four long fingers plus a smaller
opposable thumb. Their feet have five toes, including an opposable big toe. Siamangs
can grasp and carry things with both their hands and their feet. When they swing
through the trees (called brachiating), they use four fingers of their hands like a hook
(but they do not use the thumb for this).

Unlike other gibbons, siamangs have webbing between the 2nd and 3rd toes.
SIZE
Male siamangs are slightly larger than the females. Males are about 3 ft (90 cm) long
and weigh about 15 pounds (7 kg). Siamangs have a reach of about 5 feet (1.5 m).
Siamangs are the biggest type of gibbon and are the largest of the lesser apes.
DIET
Siamangs are omnivores (eating plants and small animals). They forage for food in the
forests during the day, eating fruit (which constitutes about 75% of their diet), leaves,
flowers, seeds, tree bark, and tender plant shoots. They also eat insects, spiders, bird
eggs, and small birds.
Siamangs, like other gibbons, drink water. Often they drink by dipping a furry hand
into the water or rubbing a hand on wet leaves, and then slurping up the water from
their fur.
BEHAVIOR AND SOCIAL HABITS
Groups of Siamangs:
Siamangs are social animals that are active during the day (they are diurnal). They
live in small, stable family groups consisting of a mated pair (a male and a female
who mate for life) and their immature offspring (juveniles, siamangs less than 7 years
old).
Grooming:
Like other apes, siamangs groom one another (they clean the hair of a family member
using their fingers).
Sleeping:
Unlike other apes, siamangs and gibbons do not make "sleeping nests." They simply
sleep (alone or with a few individuals huddled together) in a fork between branches.
They sleep sitting upright, resting on tough pads located on their rear ends (these pads
are called ischial callosities).
Throat Sac:
Unlike other gibbons, siamangs have a throat sac (also called a gular sac) which they
can inflate to be about the size of their head. This sac makes their calls louder! Both

males and females have a throat sac. The inflatable throat sac makes the siamangs the
loudest of all the gibbons.
TERRITORIALITY AND VOCALIZATION
The siamang, unlike other gibbons, has an inflatable throat sac. This sac can be
inflated to be as big as the siamang's head. It acts a resonating chamber for the vocal
cords, making the sounds even louder. Their hooting can be heard up to 2 miles (6.5
km) away through the dense rain forest.
A siamang family has a territory of about 30 to 50 acres of old-growth rain forest.
Each morning upon awakening a family group of gibbons very loudly announces its
presence in the forest, using a territorial hooting call and menacing gestures. This call
warns other siamangs to stay out of their territory (and especially away from the local
fruit trees). This noisy display takes 1/2 hour or more every morning and is usually
started by the adult female. The male and female have different calls.
LOCOMOTION
Siamangs are extremely acrobatic and agile. They spend most of their life in the trees.
They move by swinging gracefully from branches and vines; this is called
brachiating. When they brachiate, they use four fingers of their hands like a hook
(but not the thumb). They can also walk along small branches high up in the air, like
tightrope walkers; they use outstretched arms to help keep their balance. Siamangs
can also leap acrobatically across large gaps in the tree canopy from tree branch to
tree branch; siamangs have been known to leap over 30 feet (9 m) in a single jump.
Siamangs cannot swim and avoid the water. When on the ground (which is rare),
siamangs walk bipedally (on two legs).
LIFE SPAN
Siamangs live about 35-40 years. They do not do very well in captivity.
HABITAT AND DISTRIBUTION
Siamangs live in the upper canopy (the tree tops) of tropical rainforests in Malaysia
and Sumatra (in southeast Asia).