Mammals · Primates · Hylobatidae
Siamang
Symphalangus syndactylus
It faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. See full glossary
The siamang is the largest of the gibbons, entirely black-coated and with disproportionately long arms with which it moves by brachiation. It lives in monogamous pairs accompanied by their young, in territories it defends with daily song. Its diet is more leaf-based than that of other gibbons: almost half is foliage, which allows it to occupy forests where fruit is scarce. It is especially vulnerable to fragmentation of the canopy, since it almost never comes down to the ground.
Weight
9 kg – 14 kg
Size
70 cm – 90 cm
Lifespan
35 years
Diet
Herbivore
Feeds mainly on plants.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
In pairs
Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.
Sighting difficulty
Hard
Fun facts
- It has a gular sac, a pouch of bare skin at the throat that it inflates to the size of its own head to amplify its calls, which carry two kilometres through the forest.
- Its scientific name syndactylus refers to the fact that its second and third toes are joined by a web of skin.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
- Habitat & environment
- The canopy of lowland and montane tropical forest in Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula
- Sexual maturity
- 6 years
- Gestation / incubation
- 7.6 months
- Litter / clutch size
- 1
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphalangus_syndactylus
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapWhere to watch it
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Siamang — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Agile Gibbon
Hylobates agilis
EndangeredLar Gibbon
Hylobates lar
Pileated Gibbon
Hylobates pileatus
EndangeredAsian Elephant
Elephas maximus
EndangeredLong-tailed Macaque
Macaca fascicularis
EndangeredMalayan Tapir
Tapirus indicus
How to help
The siamang is classified as endangered. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 4 real protected areas — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about siamang.
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