#siamangs

In a slight detour from our pointy feathered friends, lets have some more primates! Lesser apes isn't a snub - it's a contrast to the "great apes." Did you know: gibbons are the only family in the category, and even with a different name, siamangs are a species of gibbon?

Lar Gibbons:

White-Cheeked Gibbons:

Siamangs:

Siamangs only have a slight degree of sexual dimorphism. The smaller the difference, or sexual dimorphism, the more level the playing field between males and females.

P.S. Have a funny GIF for reading! 🦍🦧🐒💞

I couldn't possibly objectively rank primates, but I can certainly list a few of my favourites!

The proboscis monkey is a long standing favourite of mine, and is the reason I created this blog in the first place!

I love gibbons. Siamangs, with their inflatable throat sacs are particularly unique and charming.

Mandrills I have more of a personal connection to-- every time I have encountered mandrills I have found them to be really nice! Both the family group at the Granby Zoo and the Calgary Zoo's sibling pair have been social, curious, and welcoming to me. As large and intimidating as they look, mandrills have been very pleasant to me.

I really love every great ape, but lately I have been particularly fond of bonobos. They are truly unique in having a positive physiological reaction to strangers, and their desire to share and connect with others is just too good to be true. They aren't entirely non-aggressive as some may think, but rather have different methods for venting aggression that revolve around social sexual behaviour.

To amplify their calls! Siamangs live in densely wooded areas so without visual cues they need to be able to communicate with their mates or nearby couples sometimes miles away.

Cheek-padded male orangutans also have a throat sac for the same purpose but it doesn't inflate as dramatically.