Mammals of the WorldSiamang
Symphalangus syndactylus
- Order
- Primates
- Family
- Hylobatidae
- Genus
- Symphalangus
- IUCN status
- EN
- Distribution
- Thailand|Malaysia|Indonesia
- Realm
- Indomalaya
About this species
- Size
- Up to about 1m tall
- Weight
- Up to 14kg
- Habitat
- Tropical rainforest; arboreal
- Range
- Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand
The siamang is an arboreal, black-furred gibbon native to the tropical rainforests of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. It is the largest of the gibbons, twice the size of the others, reaching about 1 m in height and weighing up to 14 kg, and is the only species in the genus Symphalangus (Wikipedia, general species account).
Two features distinguish it from other gibbons; one is that the second and third toes on each foot are partially joined by a membrane, which gives it its species name (syndactylus). Fossils of siamangs date back to the Middle Pleistocene (Wikipedia, general species account).
Description: Wildlife of Malaysia guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)