Pileated Gibbon

• Common Name: Pileated Gibbon
• Taxonomy Classification Year: 1861
• Monkey Size: 45 to 64 cm (17.72 to 25.20 in)
• Skin Color(s): Black or pale yellow to silvery gray
• Habitat: Forest, rainforest
• Diet: Omnivorous
• Native Countries: Thailand, Laos, Cambodia

The pileated gibbon^[1] (Hylobates pileatus) is a primate in the gibbon family, Hylobatidae.

• Pileated gibbons are small apes with rounded heads, shaggy fur, long torsos and forearms, and no tails.
• Although the two sexes are similar in size and weight, sexual dimorphism is visible in their coloration: males have short black fur with white hands, feet, and headbands, while females range in color from pale yellow to silvery gray with black head and belly.
• This color difference is called sexual dichromatism. Both sexes typically have a white circular band around the crown and sides of the head, hence the name “pileated“, meaning “capped“.
• Their faces are bare and have dark pigmentation. They have an opposable thumb and an opposable big toe that allows them to grasp and carry objects with their hands and feet.

• Pileated gibbons are monogamous and typically found in only around 3 percent of mammals.
• Each morning, pileated gibbons sing spectacular duet songs together, warning other groups to stay away from their territories.
• Unlike other monkeys, they do not build nests to sleep in, preferring to sleep alone in an upright position in a tree, facilitated by their perching calluses.
• Although they are incredibly agile in the trees, they cannot swim and will try to avoid water.
• On the ground, pileated gibbons walk on two legs and raise their hands overhead for balance, resembling a tightrope walker.