This species is one of, if not the , most endangered mammals in the world. In 2005, the first Conservation Action Plan to protect the Hainan gibbon was created. The first scientist to turn to local people for help studying the Hainan gibbon was a primatologist from Guangzhou named Liu Zhenhe. They live in both the tropical and sub tropical regions. Now this number has shrunk even further, leaving this species teetering on the edge of extinction. The population of Hainan black-crested gibbons decreased mainly in the 1970s due to habitat loss. The Hainan black-crested gibbon is one of man's closest relatives living in the Bawangling National Nature Reserve, China's southern island province of Hainan. They live in … All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. As of 2017, there’s only around 26 of the Hainan gibbon left alive. The Datian Nature Preserve is located in Dongfang County in the west of Hainan Island, about 1.5 hours drive from Sanya. Hainan gibbons are also known as Hainan black-crested gibbons. Sciences, Culinary Arts and Personal They are arboreal which means that they only live in the trees. In the 1950s there were estimated to be approximately 2000 Hainan gibbons spread across the island. How long is a white-cheeked gibbon pregnant? Earn Transferable Credit & Get your Degree, Get access to this video and our entire Q&A library. Hunting these apes for meat and to acquire ingredients for so-called traditional medicine, and their capture for the illegal animal trade, has led to a drastic decline in their population. Their population has increased recently, from just 13 recorded individual apes in 2003 to the 26 now recorded. Conservation efforts need important information on the animals’ ecology and trends but, with so few around, studying them to get this data can be easier said than done. These apes are not only the rarest primate in the world, they are the rarest mammal alive today. With a population of merely 33, the tropical rainforest of Bawangling National Nature Reserve is their only habitat. Their average weight is 12.8 to 22 pounds (5.8 to 10 kilograms). In an interview with National Geographic, Richard Young of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust said, “The Mauritius kestrel was down to four individuals when we stepped in. Only around 25 remain. The population of Hainan black-crested gibbons decreased mainly in the 1970s due to habitat loss. The Hainan gibbon is a species of ape that holds a lot of world records. Each family of these beautiful animals usually consists of two females, one male and their offspring. Hainan Eld’s Deer： Around 400 Hainan Eld’s Deer live in Datian Nature Preserve which is the only one for Eld’s Deer in China. When a species is so few in number, they’re inherently at greater risk from a number of factors. Compared to great apes, gibbons are more agile when travelling through the forest canopy and travel at much greater speed. Their scientific name is Nomascus hainanus.They feed on sugary fruits like figs and sometimes eat leaves and insects. There are over a dozen recognized species of gibbons ranging from northeastern India to southern China to Borneo. They feed on sugary fruits like figs and sometimes eat leaves and insects. They had long vanished from the mainland by the late 1950s, but their population on Hainan Island still numbered over two thousand individuals. Primarily, this can be attributed to two main causes. Once numbering around 2,000 individuals in the 1950s, the Hainan gibbon underwent a severe decline in the late twentieth century due to habitat loss and hunting, and is now one of the most threatened species in the world, with only an estimated 26 individuals remaining.The last surviving populati… The Hainan gibbon species is restricted to just 0.8 sq mi (2 sq km) within the Bawangling National Nature Reserve on the western side of Hainan Island in the South China Sea. The reasons for this decline are largely due to developing rubber and commercial logging industries, the construction of roads, the human population boom (between 1950 and 2003), and a subsequent increase in human settlements are collectively contributed to wiping out the Hainan gibbon’s original lowland rainforest habitat. Become a Study.com member to unlock this At first their were considered a subspecie of the Eastern black crested gibbons, but their fur and vocalisations make them unique. They tend to enjoy the warmer climates where they can find plenty of food and shelter. © copyright 2003-2021 Study.com. The orange fur shows it’s … Their population now stands at 400, so we know what’s possible.”. As of 2017, there’s only around 26 of the Hainan gibbon left alive. Gibbons are small apes found throughout Southeast Asia. Does the white-handed gibbon have a prehensile... 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An adult Hainan gibbon moves through the treetops of Bawangling National Nature Reserve, on Hainan Island off the south coast of China. The Hainan Gibbon is an ape only found on the forested Chinese island of the same name and in the 1970s the worldwide population was less than ten (pictured, location of … Firstly, the growth of timber and rubber industries has led to massive amounts of deforestation across the island, great swaths of forest cut down for wood, to make room for rubber plantations and to create housing for an expanding population of people. Hainan gibbon couple by Reiner Gogolin on flickr. (Xinhua/Pu Xiaoxu) HAIKOU, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- … Similarly, the population of the Chatham Island black robin recovered after sinking to just five individuals in the 1980s. Hainan gibbons were once distributed across half the country of China, according to governmental records that date back to the 17th century. It is endemic to Hainan Island and is now restricted to Hainan Bawangling National Nature Reserve. Hainan is a small island in the South China Sea. Unlike the great apes, gibbons do not build nests. Scampering or climbing along ropes, Hainan gibbons (Nomascus hainanus) can now cross a great gully carved by a landslide. Based in part on his interviews with Li and Miao hunters in the 1960s, Liu estimated that around 2,000 gibbons lived across the highlands as recently as 1950. With arms longer than legs, the gibbons can easily fetch fruits and swing swiftly among branches which allows them to live exclusively in trees. Their main area of occupancy is known as the primary forest (Old-growth forest). Numerous projects to study the gibbons’ ecology, habitat and population dynamics have also been funded. This outlined various strategies, such as ongoing monitoring of the gibbon population, reforestation and increased patrols to prevent poaching and logging. Tags : #añodelmono #nopormiculpa #primateconservation #primatedelmesenextincion #theyearofthemonkey Hainan gibbons live only on Hainan island, in the south of China. Their scientific name is Nomascus hainanus. Gibbons are arboreal and live high up in the trees. All rights reserved. The Hainan gibbons reside in three different types of forests on the island. They live in the forest canopy, using their long arms to quickly climb and swing through the trees with ease. Hainan gibbons are now limited to a few isolated patches of forest in the south west of China. Hainan Gibbons: Hainan gibbons are also known as Hainan black-crested gibbons. They live in just four social groups, one of which was only discovered a few weeks ago. They are all tailless, and their long coats vary from cream to brown to black. Diet Photo taken on Oct. 25, 2019 shows a Hainan gibbon at the Bawangling nature reserve in south China's Hainan Province. Loss of this forest means that the Hainan gibbons lose their homes and their food sources. On first sight, prospects do look grim for the Hainan gibbon (Nomascus hainanus). It is estimated that 95% of their original habitat has been lost. Gibbons are also able to walk upright (bi-pedally) both in the trees and on the ground. Soon the females, distinctive by their golden colouring, and their young join in, adding their voices to the wild symphony. This drives the amount of genetic variation in the species as a whole downwards, increasing the chance of inbreeding effects and putting them at risk to a number of detrimental factors, like reduced fertility and increased susceptibility to disease. As a new day dawns the adult males, their fur a deep, rich black, climb to the top of the canopy to greet the rising sun with their warbling cry. Within the primary forest the gibbons typically live in trees that are ten meters or taller. 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