LIVE SIAMANG APE WEBCAM

More Info: Siamang apes are arboreal apes who live in the upper canopy of mountain and lowland forests in Malaysia and Sumatra and small parts of Thailand.

Siamangs are part of the gibbon family but the only member to have an inflating throat sac, called a gular. When the gular is inflated with air, it gives a big boost to vocal sounds which can be heard through the forest for up to 6.5kms. Their loud, booming calls are used to communicate and establish or defend their territory. It is also a call between siamang pairs and they will make male-female duet calls in the morning which helps with cohesion in the family unit.

Siamangs rarely descend to the ground but when they do, they walk upright with their arms above their heads to help them balance. They sleep upright in the branches without building nests or tree platforms, like other apes. Just like other gibbons they have tough, horny pads on their rear, known as ischial callosities, which help the siamangs sit more comfortably on branches.

A siamang family will rotate between a few trees for night time sleeping. They never seem to sleep in the same one on consecutive nights. In the tree canopies, siamangs leap with confidence across formidable gaps between branches, launching themselves 30-50 feet, using their hands as hooks. This mode of locomotion is called brachiation.

Siamangs are omnivores. They forage for food in the forests during the day with most of their diet being made up of leaves and fruit. They also eat flowers, tree bark, plant shoots and seeds, as well as some protein in the form of bird eggs, spiders, small birds and insects.

Video showing Siamangs and Orangutans playing at San Diego Zoo:



Additional Information:
Primate Facts-New England Primate Conservancy
Siamangs-Ainmal Diversity Web
Siamangs-New England Primate Conservancy