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Bornean Gibbon (Hylobates muelleri)

No land creature can move faster through the rainforest canopy than a Bornean gibbon. Swinging by their long arms they travel up to 1,500 metres per day foraging for food (mostly fruits and small insects), and defending their territory with their loud bubbling calls, which have earned them their Malay name of ‘wak-wak’.

Usually found in small family groups of male, female and a number of offspring of various ages, each group has a home range of about 60 to 100 acres, although solitary animals are occasionally seen. Bornean gibbons are relatively slow growing and long-lived – they reach sexual maturity at 6-7 years and it is common for them to live beyond 40. Like all tropical rainforest primates, the greatest threats to their survival are habitat loss and illegal hunting.