Siamang

Hylobates syndactylus

The siamang is the largest of the lesser apes. Although placed in family Hylobatidae, now it is considered not a true gibbon (so, sometimes placed in subgenus symphalangus). They are always black, and their 2nd and 3rd toes are joined through a membrane (syndactylus = "join-fingered"; same meaning for symphalangus). They also have a throat sac which is inflatable (can grow as large as their head). They live in Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula, and feed on fruits and leaves, but also on insects, birds, and bird eggs.

This picture was taken at Cincinnati zoo, in May 2001.

Family Hylobatidae
Order Primates
Subclass Eutheria
Class Mammalia
Subphylum Vertebrata
Phylum Chordata
Kingdom Animalia
Life on Earth
Index