A small, graceful ape that looks like a cloud of soft grey fur gliding through the treetops. Its coat is a pale bluish-grey, often darker on the top of the head where a little “cap” of fur gives it a slightly tousled look. Unlike monkeys, it has no tail at all, and its arms are incredibly long compared with its body, with hook-like hands and long fingers made for swinging. Its face is flat and dark, with curious eyes and a gentle expression that can seem almost human when it pauses to look around. When a silvery gibbon sits quietly on a branch, legs tucked in and arms draped over the sides, it looks delicate, but the muscles hidden under that soft fur are powerful and finely tuned for life high above the forest floor.

This species lives only on the Indonesian island of Java, making it one of the island’s most special and vulnerable animals. It spends nearly all of its time in the upper canopy of rainforests, moving from tree to tree without touching the ground if it can possibly avoid it. The way it travels is one of the most impressive things about it: hand-over-hand swinging, called brachiation, where it launches itself and catches the next branch with perfect timing. When it does have to cross a gap with no overhead branches, it sometimes walks upright along a big limb, arms held out or overhead for balance, looking a bit like a tightrope-walking person in a furry suit. Silvery gibbons are active during the day, especially in the cool hours of early morning, and rest more when the heat builds.

Their social lives revolve around small, tight-knit families. Most groups are just an adult pair and their young, with the parents often staying together for many years and sometimes for life.

Distribution

Country

Population est.

Status

Year

Comments

Indonesia

<2,500

Official estimate

EN

2015

Jawa