Summary
Courtesy of Thomas Geissmann; Gibbon
Research Lab
All primates consisting of monogamous relationships must have unique habitats and conditions in order to survive. Gibbon habitats consisting of moist evergreen forests throughout Southeast Asia allow for constantly rotating seasonal resources. These consist of fruits (esp. figs), flowers, and young leaves. Gibbons have evolved long arms to facilitate brachiation and an arboreal lifestyle minimizing all land predation. Their large size minimizes most arboreal and aerial predators. With minimal predation risks and a large range of resources, gibbons can survive in small familial groups. Each family consists of a mated pair and their immature offspring. Usually sexually mature offspring are forced from the territory by the same-sex parent. They may be allowed to remain under crowded conditions if they can benefit the family. Each family has a large home range and an inner territory consisting of feeding trees and one large sleeping tree. These large territories and small groups allow minimal social interaction with other groups. Females, while receiving some paternal help raising offspring, benefit through monogamy from primary male defense of their territory. Males benefit from monogamy because of the length of time and energy needed to ensure one offspring reaches sexual maturity. Same-sex aggression maintains monogamy by eliminating opportunities for other social systems. Relationships are built, shaped, and strengthened through allogrooming and intricate vocalized duetting. While many of the observations of gibbons at this point come from cramped environments in captivity, they still provide a vast amount of insight into gibbon lifestyle. However, as several aspects of gibbon behavior have shown conflicting results between captive and natural habitats (age of sexual maturity and dominant behavior), the need for observation within natural settings is imperative to fully understand this unique animal.
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