Hylobates lar
Stephen Estrada
Hylobates lar otherwise known as the lar gibbon is a species of gibbon belonging to the hylobates genus. Despite the unique anatomy of the lar gibbon and the current conservation status of the species, there has been little research into the behaviors and social structures of gibbon populations. In this paper an attempt shall be made at consolidating what research there is to provide an in-depth look at the lar gibbon, both from a biological and behavioral perspective. The lar gibbon has a highly specialized anatomy geared towards arboreal environments, boasting the longest arm to body ration of the Hominoidea superfamily, with one of the highest intermembral indexes (129.7) of any primate. (Geissmann, n.d.) The adaptations for brachiation they have developed are found mainly in the upper torso. Their hands, which form a long hook shape with strong finger flexors, along with the length of their arms allow the lar gibbon to swing in a pendulum motion while maintaining a steady grip on whatever branch they may find themselves attached to. In order to compensate for the large amount of force that would otherwise be applied to the shoulder …show more content…
Time spent grooming and engaging in play activities varies quite drastically depending on season and scarcity of food, but in general is comparatively infrequent to other apes (Bartlett, 2002). Social grooming, however, has been observed to occur more frequently between males and females with the latter being the one to perform the grooming in general. This behavior increases in frequencies as the females enter their estrus cycle, indicating that grooming may be used as a commodity among the gibbons to either be exchanged for mating opportunities or for reciprocated grooming. (Barelli et al., 2011) A few hours prior to retiring for the night, lar gibbons will cease communicating so as to avoid detection by
Stephen Estrada
Hylobates lar otherwise known as the lar gibbon is a species of gibbon belonging to the hylobates genus. Despite the unique anatomy of the lar gibbon and the current conservation status of the species, there has been little research into the behaviors and social structures of gibbon populations. In this paper an attempt shall be made at consolidating what research there is to provide an in-depth look at the lar gibbon, both from a biological and behavioral perspective. The lar gibbon has a highly specialized anatomy geared towards arboreal environments, boasting the longest arm to body ration of the Hominoidea superfamily, with one of the highest intermembral indexes (129.7) of any primate. (Geissmann, n.d.) The adaptations for brachiation they have developed are found mainly in the upper torso. Their hands, which form a long hook shape with strong finger flexors, along with the length of their arms allow the lar gibbon to swing in a pendulum motion while maintaining a steady grip on whatever branch they may find themselves attached to. In order to compensate for the large amount of force that would otherwise be applied to the shoulder …show more content…
Time spent grooming and engaging in play activities varies quite drastically depending on season and scarcity of food, but in general is comparatively infrequent to other apes (Bartlett, 2002). Social grooming, however, has been observed to occur more frequently between males and females with the latter being the one to perform the grooming in general. This behavior increases in frequencies as the females enter their estrus cycle, indicating that grooming may be used as a commodity among the gibbons to either be exchanged for mating opportunities or for reciprocated grooming. (Barelli et al., 2011) A few hours prior to retiring for the night, lar gibbons will cease communicating so as to avoid detection by