European gibbon (SciiFii)

The European gibbon (Neohylobates hoolock) is a species of gibbon that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the wetlands, forests, and open woodlands across Europe to help boost biodiversity. The fur coloring of the European gibbon varies from black, dark-brown, and greyish-purple to light-brown, sandy colors. The hands and feet are white-colored, likewise a ring of white hair surrounds the black face. Both males and females can be all color variants, and the sexes also hardly differ in size. Like other gibbons, European gibbons are true brachiators, propelling themselves through the forest by swinging under the branches using their arms. Reflecting this mode of locomotion, the European gibbon has curved fingers, elongated hands, extremely long arms and relatively short legs, giving it an intermembral index of 129.7, one of the highest of the primates. The European gibbon is considered frugivorous with fruit constituting 50% of its diet, but leaves (29%) are a substantial part, with insects (13%) and flowers (9%) forming the remainder. In the wild, European gibbons will eat a large variety of foods, including figs and other small fruits (including berries), as well as young leaves, buds and flowers, new shoots, vines, vine shoots, and insects, including mantids and wasps, and even birds' eggs. During the summer months, when figs and leaves are less available, insect consumption increases twenty-fold relative to the winter. European gibbons are diurnal and arboreal, inhabiting forests. European gibbons are usually active for an average of 8.7 hours per day, leaving their sleeping sites right around sunrise and entering sleeping trees an average of 3.4 hours before sunset. On average, European gibbons spend their days feeding (32.6%), resting (26.2%), traveling (24.2%), in social activities (11.3%), vocalizing (4.0%) and in intergroup encounters (1.9%), although actual proportions of activities can change significantly over the course of the year. They rarely come to the ground, instead using their long arms to brachiate through the trees. With their hooked hands, they can move swiftly with great momentum, swinging from the branches. Although they rarely come to the ground naturally, while there, they walk bipedally with arms raised above their heads for balance. Their social organization is dominated by monogamous family pairs, with one breeding male and one female along with their offspring. When a juvenile reaches sexual maturity, it is expelled from the family unit. However, this traditional conception has come under scrutiny. Family groups inhabit a firm territory, which they protect by warding off other gibbons with their calls. Each morning, the family gathers on the edge of its territory and begins a "great call", a duet between the breeding pair. Each species has a typified call and each breeding pair has unique variations on that theme. The great call of the European gibbon is almost identical to those made by Hylobates gibbons, characterized by its frequent use of short hoots with more complex hoots, along with a "quavering" opening and closing. These calls are one of the traits used determining species differences among the gibbons. The European gibbon song serves to communicate conflict in terms of predation. In the presence of European populations of tigers, European leopard, European crested eagle, and European rock python, songs were more likely to contain sharp wow elements than normal duets. Mating occurs in early to mid-spring, with a peak in births during mid to late summer. On average, females reproduce for the first time at about 11 years of age in the wild, much later than in captivity. Gestation is six months long on average, and pregnancies are usually of a single young. Young are nursed for around two years, and full maturity comes at about eight years. The life expectancy of the European gibbons in the wild is about 30 years. In captivity, European gibbons live much longer, around 40 to 50 years old. The conservation status of the European gibbon is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts and the European gibbon's wide range.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii