A Great Leaping Discovery
The Gibbon is quite a social creature, although very territorial with a wide range of vocal displays. Their songs can be heard from distances up to one kilometer away. One thing that makes this loud mammal very different from other monkeys is that they have a ball and socket wrist this enables them to leap from tree to tree up to 35 miles per hour. There were six different types of Gibbons, but as of September 21st, 2010 German scientists have discovered a new species! Nomascus annamensis or Northern Buffed-cheeked Gibbon is a new type of crested gibbon which is now one of the most endangered species in the world. This type of Gibbon lives in tropical and subtropical rainforests of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Southern China. The new male species is covered in black fur and its cheeks are a deep orange/ golden color. The female has more of a softer orange still with black fur. Gibbons have been endangered by being kept as pets, people eating them or processed into traditional medicines. "The discovery of a new species of ape is a minor sensation," said Christian Roos from the DPZ.
I found this article to be captivating; I learned that a Gibbon has an actual wrist just like we do. When I read about the discovery of the Pea Sized Frog I was fascinated, and now reading about another discovery was truly amazing. I did some more research to find out more about the different kinds of Gibbons and what they sound like. Compared to many other monkeys there cry is high pitched and very recognizable. Watching the Youtube video I found about Gibbons gave me some very good key information. I also looked on Wikipedia to find out more on the Gibbons strange wrist. I think as I continue learning about different kinds of animals I become more intent on becoming an Ecologist. This article has helped me understand that there are animals, plants, and many other creatures that are out there but haven’t been discovered yet.
Click Here to see a cool Gibbon Video!
By Blaise Sevier
Bibliography:
Gibbon." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 05 Oct. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibbon#Anatomy>.
"YouTube - The Swinging Gibbon." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 05 Oct. 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSLFHPd8LX0>.
"German Scientists Discover Rare Ape Species in Asia - Yahoo! News." The Top News Headlines on Current Events from Yahoo! News - Yahoo! News. Web. 05 Oct. 2010. <http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100921/sc_afp/scienceanimalconservationgermanyvietnamlaoscambodia>.
Great job! I can see that they are very social creature. But I still have one question, If they can sing from a distance of a kilometer away, do you think they have good voices?
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