Siamang

Conservation Status:
Endangered - USFWS
CITES Appendix 1
SSP

Description:
Siamangs have an average height of 3 feet.  They are covered with long, silky black hair, but they do not have hair on the face.  They have a low forehead and a broad nose.  They have long, sharp canine teeth.  When calling, their throat sac (below the chin) enlarges to almost the size of the head.  Their hands are adapted for gripping, with long curved fingers and a thumb set low on the wrist.  They do not have a tail.  When on the ground, they walk upright on their back legs, holding their long arms over their head to keep them from dragging on the ground.

Range:
Sumatra and Malaysia

Habitat:
Rainforest

Diet:
In the wild, siamangs eat leaves, ripe fruit (especially figs), insects, and bird eggs.  In the zoo, our siamangs eat monkey biscuits, high protein leaf-eater diet, apples, carrots, and other produce.

Life Cycle:
Siamangs mate for life.  After a 7-8 month gestation period, a single baby is born.  For the first year of its life, the baby is fed and cared for only by its mother.  Then the father takes charge of its education, although the mother continues to feed it for another year.  When it is about 8 years old, it moves out to start its own family.  Siamangs only produce one baby every 2 or 3 years.  They can live up to 25 years in the wild, and up to 35 years in captivity.

Did You Know?

·        Siamangs are apes (like gorillas and chimpanzees), not monkeys.  To tell the difference, look for a tail – monkeys have them, and apes do not.

·        Siamangs are highly adapted for a life in the tree tops.  They travel quickly through the trees by moving arm over arm, swinging from branch to branch.  This method of transportation is called “brachiation”.  With arms 1/3 longer than their body, they can travel nearly 10 feet in a single swing.

·        They are the only primate (besides man) to walk upright on the ground.  When walking upright, they hold their arms above their head to keep them from dragging on the ground.

·        Siamangs live in small family groups, which include an adult male and female and 2 or 3 youngsters.  The family members groom each other frequently to strengthen the family bond.

·        The siamang’s throat sac allows it to call very loudly.  Siamangs can be heard up to 2 miles away.  They call to announce their territories, and to establish feeding and sleeping trees.  Families often call together.

·        Habitat destruction is the main threat to this species.

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