Wildlifeof Thailand
Lar Gibbon
Hylobatidae
Photo: JJ Harrison · CC BY 3.0 (May be cropped or resized)
Hylobates lar
Basic stats
Diet
Mostly fruit, with leaves, flowers and insects
Habitat
Evergreen, mixed and seasonal forest
Range
Mainland Southeast Asia and northern Malay Peninsula
The lar or white-handed gibbon has long arms, no tail and a ring of pale fur around its dark face, with pale hands and feet. Adults occur in black and light buff colour morphs that are not determined simply by sex. It moves mainly by brachiation (Animal Diversity Web; specialist gibbon account).
Its range spans mainland Southeast Asia and the northern Malay Peninsula. Small territorial family groups advertise ownership through loud male-female duets. Fruit is the principal food, with leaves, flowers and insects added seasonally. Canopy travel and fruit feeding make it an effective forest seed disperser (Animal Diversity Web). It is Nationally Endangered (Thailand Red Data 2025).
Quick answers
- What does the Lar Gibbon eat?
- Mostly fruit, with leaves, flowers and insects
- What habitat does the Lar Gibbon live in?
- Evergreen, mixed and seasonal forest
- Where is the Lar Gibbon found?
- Mainland Southeast Asia and northern Malay Peninsula