The Zoochat Photographic Guide to Old World Primates

[Chlidonias]

HYLOBATIDAE
Gibbons

About 18 species in four genera. There are 16 species represented in the Zoochat galleries.

Hylobates ("Typical" Gibbons) - seven species, all of which are depicted here.
Hoolock (Hoolock Gibbons) - three species, all of which are depicted here.
Symphalangus (Siamang) - one species, depicted.
Nomascus (Crested Gibbons) - seven species, five of which are depicted here.


Hylobatidae is a complex maze, taxonomically. Until the 1990s all species were normally placed in a single genus, Hylobates, which was divided into four subgenera (Hylobates, Bunopithecus, Nomascus, Symphalangus). The elevation of these subgenera into full genera wasn't universally accepted until the 2000s, except in the case of the Siamang Symphalangus syndactylus which is distinctive enough to have commonly been kept separate.

The number of recognised species has increased steadily over this period as well. Most species of gibbons hybridise readily both in captivity and in the wild, with wide "hybrid zones" occurring where different species meet, and until the advent of DNA testing this resulted in a tendency to treat many species as synonymous even if visually they were quite distinctive. At its most "lumped" stages, there were only five or six species recognised: the White-handed or Lar Gibbon Hylobates lar with multiple subspecies; the Agile Gibbon Hylobates agilis (although equally commonly combined with H. lar); the Mentawai Gibbon Hylobates klossii; the Hoolock Gibbon Hylobates hoolock; the Concolor Gibbon Hylobates concolor with multiple subspecies; and the Siamang Hylobates / Symphalangus syndactylus. Currently there are about eighteen species recognised (plus or minus a few, depending on authority). My personal feeling is that while they were formerly over-lumped, now they are over-split.

 

[Chlidonias]

Hylobates
Seven species, all of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.

The genus Hylobates formerly contained all the species in the family Hylobatidae, the divisions only being at the level of subgenus (see the opening text above for Hylobatidae). The species now included in the genus are those which were in the subgenus Hylobates. Even so, six of the currently-recognised species were previously lumped as subspecies into just one or two species (Hylobates lar alone; or Hylobates lar and Hylobates agilis). Only the Mentawai Gibbon H. klossii has always been considered an entirely distinct species - indeed, it was originally placed in the genus Symphalangus (hence a lesser-used common name for the species, "Dwarf Siamang").

Two species with this genus are sexually dimorphic (the Pileated Gibbon extremely so, and the Agile Gibbon moderately so), while the others are all monomorphic (i.e. the males and females look the same). However three species - the White-handed Gibbon, Agile Gibbon, and Mueller's Gibbon - have a wide variability in colour which is independent of sex or age.



Agile or Black-handed Gibbon Hylobates agilis
Two subspecies have been used (agilis and unko) based on either/both range (west versus east) or altitude (highland versus lowland), but most authorities now consider the species to be monotypic. The Bornean White-bearded Gibbon H. albibarbis was formerly also considered to be a subspecies of the Agile Gibbon.


Found over most of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, and in a narrow band across the Malay Peninsula where Malaysia and Thailand meet.


The sexual dimorphism in this species is only moderate (males usually have pale cheek patches while females don't) but there is much individual variation in overall colouration, as shown in the two photos below.


Photo by @Martin B at Twycross Zoo, UK.

Twycross Zoo - 4/3/2017 | ZooChat


Photo by @Goura at Bristol Zoo, UK.

Agile gibbon | ZooChat


Bornean White-bearded or Bornean Agile Gibbon Hylobates albibarbis
Monotypic. Formerly treated as a subspecies of the Agile Gibbon H. agilis, and before that of Mueller's Gibbon H. muelleri.


Endemic to Borneo, where it is found only in southern Kalimantan.


Photo by @YuanChang at Ragunan Zoo, Indonesia.

Bornean white-bearded gibbon - ZooChat


Mentawai or Kloss' Gibbon Hylobates klossii
Monotypic.


Endemic to the Mentawai Islands, off the west coast of Sumatra (Indonesia).


Photo by @devilfish at Bali Zoo, Indonesia.

Kloss's gibbon, June 2016 | ZooChat


Photo by @Giant Eland at Taman Safari Bogor, Indonesia.

Kloss's gibbon or dwarf siamang (Hylobates klossii) | ZooChat


White-handed or Lar Gibbon Hylobates lar
Four or five subspecies: carpenteri, entelloides, lar, vestitus, yunnanensis.


Found from the area joining Yunnan, Burma, Laos and Thailand, south throughout the Thai-Malay Peninsula and at the northern end of the Indonesian island of Sumatra: carpenteri is in northeast Burma, western Laos, and northern Thailand; entelloides in central and south Thailand, and southeast Burma; lar in peninsular Malaysia; vestitus in northern Sumatra; and yunnanensis from extreme southern Yunnan in China (probably synonymous with carpenteri and, in any case, likely to now be extinct).


The species is extremely variable in colouration, from black to almost white, but this is individual and does not correspond to sex. The subspecies cannot be distinguished visually, and most zoo populations are "generic".


Photo by @Nick@Amsterdam at Berlin Tierpark, Germany, showing the extremes in colour.

White-handed Gibbon (Hylobates lar) | ZooChat


Photo by @Chlidonias at Naypyitaw Zoo, Burma (likely to be the northern subspecies carpenteri as most animals in Burmese zoos are obtained locally).

White-handed Gibbon (Hylobates lar) | ZooChat


Photo by @LaughingDove in the wild, Thailand (pale morph of central subspecies entelloides).

White-handed Gibbon - Khao Yai National Park | ZooChat


Photo by @Deer Forest in the wild, Thailand (dark morph of central subspecies entelloides).

white-handed gibbon | ZooChat


Photo by @LaughingDove in the wild, Indonesia (Sumatran subspecies vestitus).

Sumatran White-handed Gibbon - ZooChat


Javan or Silvery Gibbon Hylobates moloch
Two subspecies have been used (moloch in the west of Java and pongoalsoni in the east of Java) but most authorities now consider the species to be monotypic.


Endemic to the Indonesian island of Java.


Photo by @Eagle at Tierpark Hellabrunn, Germany.

Javan gibbon | ZooChat


Mueller's or Grey or Bornean Gibbon Hylobates muelleri
Three subspecies: abbotti, funereus, muelleri. These are now sometimes split as three full species although they all intergrade where the ranges meet. They are all quite variable in colouration and cannot be reliably separated on the basis of appearance (i.e. if outside their wild ranges in captivity).


Endemic to Borneo, with abbotti in the west (mainly in Sarawak, but also slightly into Kalimantan); funereus in the northeast (encompassing parts of Sarawak, Sabah, Kalimantan, and Brunei); and muelleri in the southeast (entirely within Kalimantan).


Photo by @Gigit at Paignton Zoo, UK (subspecies abbotti).

Grey Gibbon, 28 May 2014 | ZooChat


Photo by @Chlidonias at Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, Sabah (Malaysia) (subspecies funereus)

Bornean gibbon (Hylobates muelleri) | ZooChat


Photo by @snowleopard at Gladys Porter Zoo, USA (subspecies muelleri)

Mueller's Gibbon | ZooChat


Pileated or Capped Gibbon Hylobates pileatus
Monotypic.


Found in southeast Thailand and western Cambodia, and just edging into southwest Laos.


Photo by @ro6ca66 at Twycross Zoo, UK (male).

Pileated gibbon : Twycross : 26 Feb 2016 | ZooChat


Photo by @Goura at Zurich Zoo, Switzerland (female).

Pileated gibbon | ZooChat

 

[Chlidonias]

Hoolock
Three species, all of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Until the mid-2000s the Hoolock Gibbon Hoolock hoolock was placed under the generic name Bunopithecus, which was originally created in 1923 to contain a fossil species from the Middle Pleistocene of China, Bunopithecus sericus. Based on supposed dental similarities the Hoolock Gibbon was deemed to be closely related to the fossil species (later shown to be an erroneous conclusion). The Hoolock Gibbon was moved to the current (new) genus Hoolock in 2005, leaving Bunopithecus to contain only the extinct B. sericus. Up until this time the Hoolock was treated as a single species with two subspecies (western B. h. hoolock and eastern B. h. leuconedys), but when moved to its new genus it was also split into the two full species currently recognised. In 2016 a third species, the Gaoligong Hoolock H. tianxiang, was described as a split from H. leuconedys.


In all three species the males are fully black or dark, apart for the prominent white eyebrows, while the females are pale with a white ring around the entire face.



Western Hoolock Hoolock hoolock
Monotypic.


Found in northeast India, Bangladesh, and western Burma.


Photo by @Chlidonias in the wild, India (male).

Western Hoolock Gibbon (Hylobates [Hoolock] hoolock) | ZooChat


Photo by @Buldeo at the Delhi National Zoo, India (female).

Western Hoolock Gibbon | ZooChat


Eastern Hoolock Hoolock leuconedys
Monotypic.


Found only in Burma. Usually stated to also occur in extreme northeast India (in Arunachal Pradesh), but genetics suggest that this population is actually H. hoolock.


Photo by @Himimomi at Hangzhou Safari Park, China (male on left, female on right).

Eastern hoolock gibbon | ZooChat


Gaoligong Hoolock or Skywalker Gibbon Hoolock tianxing
Monotypic.


Found in the area between the Irrawaddy River in northeast Burma and the Salween River in southwest Yunnan (China).


Photo by @baboon at Beijing Zoo, China (male).

Skywalker hoolock gibbon - ZooChat

 

[Chlidonias]

Symphalangus
One species.

The Mentawai Gibbon or "Dwarf Siamang" Hylobates klossii was originally included in Symphalangus also.

Unlike most gibbons, Siamang come in only one colour - all black - and the sexes look the same.



Siamang Symphalangus syndactylus
Two subspecies: continentis and syndactylus (but often combined as monotypic)


Found only in Peninsular Malaysia and extreme south Thailand (continentis) and on the Indonesian island of Sumatra (syndactylus).


I don't know that any zoo populations are identified in the Zoochat galleries to the Peninsular Malaysian and Sumatran populations, so below I have used photos of definite Malaysian and Sumatran animals (i.e. in the wild) and then just a portrait shot of a zoo animal.


Photo by @Chlidonias in the wild, Peninsular Malaysia (subspecies continentis).

Siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus) | ZooChat


Photo by @LaughingDove in the wild, Sumatra (subspecies syndactylus).

Siamang - ZooChat


Photo by @Zooreviewsuk at South Lakes Wild Animal Park, UK.

Siamang | ZooChat

 

[Chlidonias]

Nomascus
Seven species, five of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Originally this was a subgenus of Hylobates and contained a single Indochinese species, the Concolor Gibbon Hylobates concolor with six subspecies (concolor, gabriellae, hainanus, leucogenys, lu, siki). This has since has been divided up into seven species, partly corresponding to the former "concolor" subspecies. Further splits have been the result of genetic and vocal differences. Most of the currently-recognised species are seriously endangered with tiny remnant distributions.


All species in this genus are extremely sexually-dimorphic. The males are black (entirely black in N. concolor and N. nasutus; with yellow or white cheek patches in all other species), while the females are very pale buff to orange, with or without darker markings on the head.



Northern Buff-cheeked or Annamite Gibbon Nomascus annamensis
Monotypic.


Found in central Vietnam, southern Laos, and northeast Cambodia.


Photo by @Deer Forest at Chongqing Zoo, China (male).

northern buffed-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus annamensis) | ZooChat


Photo by @Giant Eland at the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre, Vietnam (female at left, male at right).

Northern buffed-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus annamensis) | ZooChat


Concolor or Black Crested Gibbon Nomascus concolor
Four subspecies: concolor, furvogaster, jingdongensis, lu.


Found across Yunnan (China) into northwest Vietnam and northwest Laos: concolor in Vietnam; furvogaster in west Yunnan; jingdongensis in central Yunnan; and lu in Laos.


There are no photos representing this species in the Zoochat galleries.


Southern Buff-cheeked Gibbon Nomascus gabriellae
Monotypic.

Note: has numerous common names, also including Yellow-cheeked Gibbon and Golden-cheeked Gibbon


Found in south Vietnam and southeast Cambodia.


Photo by @MagpieGoose at Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre, UK (female at left, male at right).

Golden Cheeked Gibbons, Kim and Tien | ZooChat


Hainan Gibbon Nomascus hainanus
Monotypic.


Endemic to China's Hainan Island.


Photo by @bongorob at Twycross Zoo, UK (female).

female Hainan black crested gibbon Twycross 22 July 1984 | ZooChat


Northern White-cheeked Gibbon Nomascus leucogenys
Monotypic.


Found in north Vietnam and northern Laos.


Photo by @WhistlingKite24 at Wildlife HQ Zoo, Australia (male at left, female at right).

Northern White-cheeked Gibbons - ZooChat


Cao Vit or Eastern Crested Gibbon Nomascus nasutus
Monotypic.


Found in a remnant population on the border with north Vietnam and southern China (formerly more widespread).


There are no photos representing this species in the Zoochat galleries.


Southern White-cheeked Gibbon Nomascus siki
Monotypic.


Found in north-central Vietnam and neighbouring areas of Laos.


Photo by @Maguari at the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre, Vietnam (male).

Southern White-cheeked Gibbon at EPRC Cuc Phuong, 10/03/12 | ZooChat


Photo by @Maguari at the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre, Vietnam (female).

Southern White-cheeked Gibbon at EPRC Cuc Phuong, 10/03/12 | ZooChat

 

[Chlidonias]

HOMINIDAE
Great Apes and Humans

Seven or eight species in four genera. There are seven species represented in the Zoochat galleries.

Pongo (Orangutans) - two or three species, two of which are depicted here.
Gorilla (Gorillas) - two species, both depicted here.
Pan (Chimpanzees) - two species, both depicted here.
Homo (Humans) - one species, depicted.


Formerly the species in this family were divided into two families based on humans (in Hominidae) being physically distinctive compared to the great apes (in Pongidae). However it is clear that humans, chimpanzees and gorillas form a distinct evolutionary group separate from the orangutans, and that humans and chimpanzees in particular are very close genetically. Hence the current taxonomic position is to combine Hominidae and Pongidae. The family name Hominidae has precedence over Pongidae (created in the year 1825 versus 1913).

There are two subfamilies: Ponginae (Orangutans) and Homininae (Gorillas, Chimpanzees, and Humans).


The photo below by @Sarus Crane of a taxidermy display at the Harvard Museum of Natural History in the USA gives a rough idea of the relative sizes of the different "types" of apes. Top left is an Orangutan (Pongo sp.); bottom left a Common Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes); right an Eastern Gorilla (Gorilla beringei); and in the middle a Hoolock Gibbon (Hoolock hoolock).

Great Apes | ZooChat

 

[Chlidonias]

Pongo
Two or three species, two of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Formerly treated as a monotypic genus containing just Pongo pygmaeus, with two subspecies - P. p. pygmaeus in Borneo and P. p. abelii in Sumatra. The two subspecies were split as full species in the mid-1990s and this is now the standard treatment, although hybrids between the two taxa are fully fertile. Several populations within Borneo were then named as subspecies, paradoxically one of them (P. p. wurmbii from central Kalimantan) having been suggested as being genetically closer to the Sumatran Orangutan than to the Bornean Orangutan. In 2017 a third species was named, P. tapanuliensis from Sumatra (south of the range of P. abelii, from which it was split), which is genetically closer to the Bornean Orangutan. Understandably there is some controversy over the validity of this new species. The following link is a Zoochat thread which contains various links: New Orangutan Species Discovered

It is probably safe to say that this isn't the end of the story with Pongo classification.


Photo below by @MagpieGoose of various Sumatran (the first six photos) and Bornean Orangutans (the last six photos) at Chester Zoo, UK, for illustrative purposes:

The Sumatran and Bornean Orangutans of Chester Zoo | ZooChat



Sumatran Orangutan Pongo abelii
Monotypic.


Endemic to the northern end of Sumatra (Indonesia)


Photo by @savethelephant at Zoo Miami, USA (male).

Sumatran Orangutan | ZooChat


Bornean Orangutan Pongo pygmaeus
Three subspecies: morio, pygmaeus, wurmbii.


Endemic to Borneo, with morio in the northeast of the island (Sabah and northern Kalimantan); pygmaeus in Sarawak and western Kalimantan; and wurmbii in southern and central Kalimantan.


I have used two photos of animals from within the wild ranges of the subspecies morio and pygmaeus - I don't think we have any definite wurmbii in the galleries - and then a photo of a mature zoo male to illustrate their appearance.


Photo by @Deer Forest in the wild, Sabah (Malaysia) (subspecies morio).

Jungle walk Kinabatangan | ZooChat


Photo by @Chlidonias at the Semenggoh Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, Sarawak (Malaysia) (subspecies pygmaeus).

Bornean orang-utan | ZooChat


Photo by @Gigit at Dudley Zoo, UK (male).

Male Bornean Orangutan, September 2016 | ZooChat


Tapanuli Orangutan Pongo tapanuliensis
Monotypic.


Found only in the highlands south of Lake Toba on the island of Sumatra (south of the range of P. abelii).


There are no photos representing this species in the Zoochat galleries.

 

[Chlidonias]

Gorilla
Two species, both of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Formerly treated as a monotypic genus containing just Gorilla gorilla, with three subspecies - G. g. gorilla in western Africa, G. g. graueri in the lowland forests of eastern Africa, and G. g. beringei in the mountains of eastern Africa. In 2003 the genus was split into two species: the Western Gorilla Gorilla gorilla with two or three subspecies, and the Eastern Gorilla Gorilla beringei with two or three subspecies.



Eastern Gorilla Gorilla beringei
Two or three subspecies: beringei, graueri, and possibly the population in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (undescribed). All three of these are depicted in the Zoochat galleries.


Found in a small area of central Africa, with beringei in the mountain forests of the eastern DRC, Rwanda and Uganda; and graueri in lowland forests of the eastern DRC.


Photo by @chilly in the wild, Rwanda (male of subspecies beringei).

silverback | ZooChat


Photo by @chilly in the wild, Rwanda (female of subspecies beringei).

baby and mother mountain gorillas | ZooChat


Photo by @gentle lemur at Antwerp Zoo, Belgium (male of subspecies graueri).

Eastern lowland gorilla Kisubi | ZooChat


Photo by @zoofanbelgium at Antwerp Zoo, Belgium (female of subspecies graueri).

My favorite animal of all times and zoos: Eastern lowland gorilla Victoria | ZooChat


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Uganda (male of the unnamed Bwindi population).

Silverback Mountain Gorilla (Mwirima) | ZooChat


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Uganda (female of the unnamed Bwindi population).

Mountain Gorilla female | ZooChat



Western Gorilla Gorilla gorilla
Two subspecies: diehli and gorilla. The isolated Ebo Forest Gorillas in southwest Cameroon may also be separable.


Found in west-central Africa, with diehli being restricted to a tiny area on the Cameroon-Nigeria border (Cross River), well-separated from the nominate gorilla which is found from southern Cameroon south to the northern edge of Angola, and east to the southern edge of CAR and western edge of DRC.


Neither the Ebo Forest Gorilla nor the Cross River Gorilla (diehli) are represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Photo by @vogelcommando at Safaripark Beekse Bergen, Netherlands (male of subspecies gorilla).

Western lowland gorilla | ZooChat


Photo by @Gigit at Jersey Zoo, UK (female of subspecies gorilla).

Female Gorilla, April 2013 | ZooChat

 

[Chlidonias]

Pan
Two species, both of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.



Bonobo or Pigmy Chimpanzee Pan paniscus
Monotypic.


Found in central Africa, with the distribution falling entirely within the DRC. They are separated from the range of P. troglodytes by the Congo River.


Photo by @gentle lemur at Twycross Zoo, UK.

Kakowet II 2000 | ZooChat



Common Chimpanzee Pan troglodytes
Four subspecies: ellioti (syn. vellerosus), schweinfurthii, troglodytes, verus.


Found in a broken distribution across west and central Africa, with ellioti in northern Cameroon and southern Nigeria; schweinfurthii in DRC north of the Congo River, in eastern CAR, and on the western edges of some east African countries including Uganda and Tanzania; troglodytes in west-central Africa from southern Cameroon to southern CAR, western DRC, and south to Gabon and probably to northern Angola; and verus in west Africa, from Senegal to Ghana.


I couldn't see any photos of the Nigerian-Cameroon Chimpanzee P. t. ellioti in the Zoochat galleries.


Photo by @vogelcommando at Olmense Zoo, Belgium (subspecies schweinfurthii).

Schweinfurth's chimpanzee | ZooChat


Photo by @carlos55 at Barcelona Zoo, Spain (subspecies troglodytes).

chimpanzee barcelona zoo | ZooChat


Photo by @Tomek at Warsaw Zoo, Poland (subspecies verus).

Western Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) | ZooChat

 

[Chlidonias]

Homo
One extant species.



Human Homo sapiens
Monotypic. The extinct Neanderthal Man Homo neanderthalensis has been treated as a subspecies in the past but is now usually considered a separate species.


Originated in Africa, now found worldwide in all habitats. There has been past hybridisation with other Homo species, including Neanderthals and Denisovans.


Photo by @fanaloka of a large nerd of Humans in their natural state (a predominantly male group, as is usual for this type of Human).

https://www.zoochat.com/community/media/xix-meeting-of-zoo-collectors.16032/

 

[Chlidonias]

And that is the completion of the Zoochat Photographic Guide to Old World Primates. Thanks to all who provided photos over the years.

I have added a full list into the first post of the thread of all the genera and how many species are depicted here, so that it can be seen at a glance (a long glance).

And I'll add it here too, just as a closer:



TARSIIDAE
Tarsiers

Fourteen species in three genera. There are only three (identifiable) species represented in the Zoochat galleries.

Cephalopachus (Horsfield's Tarsier) - one species, depicted.
Carlito (Philippine Tarsier) - one species, depicted.
Tarsius (Sulawesi Tarsiers) - twelve species, only one of which is depicted here as definitely-identifiable to species, and a second as a labelled museum specimen.


CERCOPITHECIDAE
Old World Monkeys

About 155 species in two subfamilies, Colobinae (c.10-20 species of colobus in Africa, and c.50-60 species of langurs in Asia) and Cercopithecinae (c.60 species of baboons and guenons in Africa, and c.20-25 species of macaques in Asia). In total, 127 of these species are represented in the Zoochat galleries.

Subfamily Colobinae

About 70 species in 10 genera. There are 56 species represented in the Zoochat galleries.

Colobus (Black-and-White Colobus) - five species, all of which are depicted here.
Procolobus (Olive Colobus) - one species, not depicted here.
Piliocolobus (Red Colobus) - about ten (eight to sixteen) species, six of which are depicted here (and one of those only as a museum specimen).

Semnopithecus (Grey Langurs) - nine species, eight of which are depicted here.
Trachypithecus (Leaf Monkeys) - about twenty-one species, twenty of which are depicted here.
Presbytis (Leaf Monkeys) - ten to fifteen species, eight of which are depicted here.
Pygathrix (Douc Langurs) - three species, all of which are depicted here.
Rhinopithecus (Snub-nosed Monkeys) - five species, four of which are depicted here.
Nasalis (Proboscis Monkey) - one species, depicted.
Simias (Pig-tailed Langur) - one species, depicted.

Subfamily Cercopithecinae

About 80 species in 12 genera. There are 71 species represented in the Zoochat galleries.

Allenopithecus (Allen's Swamp Monkey) - one species, depicted.
Miopithecus (Talapoins) - two species, both depicted here.
Erythrocebus (Patas Monkey) - one or two species, both depicted here.
Chlorocebus (Vervets or Green Monkeys) - six species, all of which are depicted here.
Cercopithecus (Guenons) - about twenty-six species, twenty-one of which are depicted here.
Macaca (Macaques) - about twenty-three species, twenty-one of which are depicted here.
Cercocebus (White-eyelid Mangabeys) - six species, all of which are depicted here.
Mandrillus (Mandrill and Drill) - two species, both depicted here.
Lophocebus (Crested Mangabeys) - six species, four of which are depicted here.
Rungwecebus (Kipunji) - one species, not depicted here.
Papio (Baboons) - five species, all of which are depicted here.
Theropithecus (Gelada) - one species, depicted.


HYLOBATIDAE
Gibbons

About 18 species in four genera. There are 16 species represented in the Zoochat galleries.

Hylobates ("Typical" Gibbons) - seven species, all of which are depicted here.
Hoolock (Hoolock Gibbons) - three species, all of which are depicted here.
Symphalamgus (Siamang) - one species, depicted.
Nomascus (Crested Gibbons) - seven species, five of which are depicted here.


HOMINIDAE
Great Apes and Humans

Seven or eight species in four genera. There are seven species represented in the Zoochat galleries.

Pongo (Orangutans) - two or three species, two of which are depicted here.
Gorilla (Gorillas) - two species, both depicted here.
Pan (Chimpanzees) - two species, both depicted here.
Homo (Humans) - one species, depicted.

 

[Kakapo]

The two subspecies were split as full species in the mid-1990s and this is now the standard treatment, although hybrids between the two taxa are fully fertile.

Hmmmm... I accepted when young the separation of Sumatran and Bornean as species, but knowing that, maybe is time to considere them as lumped in a single species as they was considered before...

 

[Chlidonias]

Hmmmm... I accepted when young the separation of Sumatran and Bornean as species, but knowing that, maybe is time to considere them as lumped in a single species as they was considered before...

Presumably you would also lump all macaws as one species, a lot of the ducks as a single species, all gibbons as a single species...? I could go on. Simply being able to hybridise is not really a deciding factor in whether two taxa are the same species; it is far too common an occurrence amongst related animals.

 

[Kakapo]

Oh, I didn't knew that hybrid macaws are fertile. I knew about some of the ducks, tough I caught it as a rare exception. Usually where an hybrid is fertile, there are issues about fertility (for example one sex is fertile and the other is sterile, such as with bison/cow, or the hybrids are sterile between them but second generation with parent species are fertile, such as in green frogs). Well, if they're are many more examples, then certainly it cannot be treated as the definition of a species (as classically was considered)

 

[birdsandbats]

Homo
One species


Human Homo sapiens
Monotypic. The extinct Neanderthal Man Homo neanderthalensis has been treated as a subspecies in the past but is now usually considered a separate species.


Photo by @fanaloka of a large nerd of Humans in their natural state (a predominantly male group, as is usual for this type of Human).

A large nerd of humans!!

 

[ThylacineAlive]

One of Paignton Zoo's H. lar are the nominate subspecies. Also all the Mueller's Gibbons in America are the nominate if you'd like a bit of a clearer imagine with less glass glare.

~Thylo

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Monotypic. Formerly treated as a subspecies of the Agile Gibbon Hylobates agilis, and before that of Mueller's Gibbon Hylobates muelleri.

There are no photos representing this species in the Zoochat galleries.

It is worth mentioning for the sake of completion that we *do* have photographs of albibarbis x muelleri in the gallery, including this shot taken by @Maguari at Wingham.

The hybrid gibbons at Wingham are wild-caught rescue animals from Borneo.

 

[Chlidonias]

One of Paignton Zoo's H. lar are the nominate subspecies.

Yeah, I looked in Paignton's gallery yesterday to see if there were any photos of the Malaysian lar but the only ones there of White-handed Gibbons are either too distant, or from when they also had "generic" animals, so none of them can be used.

Also all the Mueller's Gibbons in America are the nominate if you'd like a bit of a clearer imagine with less glass glare.

There are indeed good photos of American animals, but how sure are you that they are all muelleri?

 

[Chlidonias]

It is worth mentioning for the sake of completion that we *do* have photographs of albibarbis x muelleri in the gallery

Not much use as an illustration of albibarbis though...

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Not much use as an illustration of albibarbis though...

Oh, indeed not just an interesting curiosity - especially as it represents a natural hybrid population.