Northern white-cheeked gibbon

Northern white-cheeked gibbon facts

• Gibbons spend their lives swinging through the treetops, eating fruit and singing songs. Gibbons are the most agile of all the apes, using a special form of fast swinging called brachiation. 
• For gibbons living high up in the trees, it requires some daring leaps between branches. They are excellent jumpers and some gibbons can leap up to 10m (32feet) without a run up - that’s the length of two cars!
• They live in small family groups which usually include a pair of adults, who mate for life, and their offspring. The family will defend their territory, and each morning the adult gibbons sing songs to warn rivals to stay out of their area and to reaffirm the pair-bond between them. Our northern white-cheeked gibbons can be heard singing across Regent's Park early every morning.

Are there gibbons at London Zoo?

Our treetop gibbon habitat is home to father and son duo Jimmy and Yoda - watch them swing across trees and ropes through floor to ceiling windows. 

Find our gibbons in London Zoo's Tiger Territory where you can go on a voyage of discovery to explore the close connection between humans and small apes, and learn about our gibbon conservation work in China, where our scientists are working to safeguard the world's rarest ape, the Hainan gibbon.

What do northern white-cheeked gibbons look like?

Northern white-cheeked gibbons are a sexually dimorphic species, meaning that males and females have different coat colourings. While males have black hair all over their bodies with the exception of their distinct white cheeks, females are reddish/grey in colour, with dark brown/black hair fur on the crown of their head and back of the neck. 

One of the most distinctive features of the northern white-cheeked gibbon is their long arms, up to 1.4 times as long as the legs, enabling them to swing through tree canopies with ease.

What do northern white-cheeked gibbons eat?

Mostly fruit, with some leaves and insects.

Where do Northern white-cheeked gibbons live?

Vietnam and Laos. Laos is the main stronghold for the remaining population, but hunting for the pet trade and traditional medicine is an ongoing problem. Their range previously included parts of China, where the species is sadly now extinct.

ZSL conservation in Asia 

What threats do gibbons face in the wild?

Deforestation for farming and timber production is reducing their habitat. In their stronghold in Laos, 60% of their forests may be lost in the next two years which is within just two gibbon generations. These gibbons are also poached for food and traditional medicines, while their babies are sold into the illegal wildlife trade to be which we are fighting against across Asia in ZSL. At ZSL, we are fighting to save the Hainan gibbon, which is the most endangered ape and very similar to the northern white-cheeked gibbon.