Mammals
Silvery Gibbon
Hylobates moloch · also called Javan gibbon, moloch gibbon
Singing a coordinated duet from a forest fragment surrounded by farmland and settlement, a pair of silvery gibbons represents one of the most endangered gibbon species on Earth, found nowhere in the world outside the increasingly fragmented forests of Java.
Overview
The silvery gibbon, Hylobates moloch, is an Endangered ape endemic to rainforest habitat restricted to fragments across the island of Java, Indonesia. Its striking silvery-grey coat, coordinated daily territorial duets, and severe vulnerability to habitat fragmentation on one of the world’s most densely populated islands make it one of the more conservation-urgent apes found anywhere in Southeast Asia.
An island ape running out of forest
Confined entirely to a single, heavily populated island, the silvery gibbon’s survival depends on protecting and reconnecting the shrinking forest fragments that remain, a challenge unlike that faced by gibbon species with access to larger, more continuous habitat elsewhere.
Status
Endangered, having declined severely due to the extensive fragmentation and clearing of forest habitat across Java.
Silvery Gibbon: common questions
Why is the silvery gibbon so endangered?
This species has suffered severely from the extensive fragmentation and clearing of forest habitat across Java, one of the most densely populated islands in the world, leaving isolated populations increasingly vulnerable and contributing to its status as one of the most endangered gibbon species.
Where does the silvery gibbon live?
This species is found nowhere else in the world outside the Indonesian island of Java, making its entire global population dependent on the increasingly fragmented forest remnants that remain across that single island.
Does the silvery gibbon sing like other gibbons?
Yes, this species lives in monogamous pairs that sing coordinated vocal duets each day, a behaviour shared across the gibbon family used to defend territory and reinforce the bond between mates.
What does the silvery gibbon look like?
This species has a distinctive silvery-grey coat, a colouring that gives the species its common name and sets it apart visually from the darker coats of several other gibbon species found across Southeast Asia.