The Hainan gibbon, or Hainan black-crested gibbon, is a species of gibbon native to Hainan Island, China. Sadly, Hainan gibbon is barely surviving. Only 28-32 remain on the planet, all restricted to a single patch of forest on China’s suburb Hainan Island.
Physical and breeding characteristics
Sexual dichromatism is separate in the Hainan gibbon. The males are all almost entirely black, with sometimes buff or white cheeks. Females, conversely, are a buff or golden color with black patches, including a black streak on the head. Both females and males are slender, with long legs and arms and no tail. The arms are used to move from tree to tree, which is also known as brachiation. The Hainan gibbon sings lovely duets for mating and bonding.
The Hainan gibbons have procured some reproductive alterations in response to their decreased natural habitat. The remaining gibbons present polygynous relationships; small families consist of two mature females, one breeding male, and their offspring.
Habitat selection
The Hainan gibbons reside in three distinct kinds of forests on the island. Their main area of occupation is known as the primary forest. Within the primary forest, the gibbons live in trees that are around ten meters or perhaps taller. Along with contributing sources of shelter and trees for singing routines, the forests are also home to at least six species of plants eaten by the Hainan gibbons. Aside from primary forests, the gibbons split their time between two regions known as dwarf and secondary forests.
Ecological significance
The Hainan gibbon is deemed an umbrella species for the Hainan Island. This label indicates that the status of the Hainan gibbon is a marker for the stability and health of its ecosystem. Alterations in the Hainan ecosystem that negatively affect the gibbons indicate a negative impact on other species.
Other varieties of gibbons have been shown to be essential constituents in the seed dispersal of many plant species, most notably figs and other fruit-bearing plants. Therefore, the remnants of the natural vegetation on Hainan Island, coupled with the falling gibbon population, bodes ill to recover native plant species. This being said, no known gibbon species has gone extinct in the contemporary world. No other primate has gone reportedly extinct since the 1700s CE, so there is little analysis on their environmental importance or conservation means. The impact that the extermination of the Hainan gibbon could have is not well described due to insufficient research.
