{"id":35978,"date":"2024-02-21T16:16:12","date_gmt":"2024-02-21T15:16:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/3ba25fe8-dad0-4348-8a67-72bb6579411a"},"modified":"2024-02-21T17:35:38","modified_gmt":"2024-02-21T16:35:38","slug":"skywalker-hoolock-gibbon-where-they-live-their-incredible-song-and-the-story-behind-their-star-wars-name","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/skywalker-hoolock-gibbon-where-they-live-their-incredible-song-and-the-story-behind-their-star-wars-name\/","title":{"rendered":"Skywalker\u00a0hoolock\u00a0gibbon: where they live, their incredible song and the story behind their ‘Star Wars’ name \u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Where does the\u00a0endangered Skywalker hoolock\u00a0gibbon get its unusual name? Why do they sing? And what do they eat? Learn all about this endangered ape with our expert guide. <\/p>

By Ngwe Lwin\n <\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 21 February 2024 at 15:16 PM<\/p>

\n\n

The endangered Skywalker\u00a0hoolock\u00a0gibbon \u2013 or simply Skywalker\u00a0gibbon \u2013 was first identified in China in 2017. Following its discovery, additional research, including acoustic monitoring of the gibbon’s morning songs<\/a>, confirmed that the species\u2019 range stretches into Myanmar.<\/p>

The Skywalker\u00a0hoolock\u00a0gibbon is a close relative of the eastern hoolock gibbon, with key differences including thinner eyebrows and a dark beard (instead of a white one).<\/p>

Skywalker hoolock gibbon: their evocative song<\/h2>
Listen to the song of the Skywalker hoolock gibbon. Credit: Fauna & Flora\u00a0<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>What is a Skywalker\u00a0hoolock gibbon?<\/h2>
Skywalker\u00a0hoolock gibbons (Hoolock tianxing<\/em>) are small apes with light to dark brown fur in females and black fur in adult males. They have long arms, with males typically larger than females. <\/p>
They are known for their loud calls used for territorial defence, mate attraction and communication within family groups. They are highly arboreal, spending most of their time in the forest canopy.\u00a0\u00a0
A male Skywalker hoolock gibbon. Credit: Professor Pengfei Fan, Sun Yat-Sen University<\/figcaption><\/figure>10 animals named after Star Wars characters, from Jedi ants to Skywalker apes<\/a><\/li>
\u2018Theory of mind\u2019 demonstrated in great apes<\/a><\/li>
What are primates?<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
Skywalker\u00a0hoolock gibbon behaviour<\/h2>
They are skilled climbers and brachiators, swinging from branch to branch with ease. They live in small family groups, maintaining strong social bonds through grooming, playing, and vocalising.\u00a0<\/p>
Like other gibbon species, they are territorial and will defend their home ranges through vocal displays and occasional physical confrontations with neighbouring groups.<\/p>
$\"Skywalker$
Skywalker gibbons spend most of their time in the forest canopy. Credit: Professor Pengfei Fan, Sun Yat-Sen University<\/figcaption><\/figure>
What do Skywalker\u00a0hoolock gibbons eat?<\/h2>
Skywalker\u00a0gibbons are frugivorous, primarily relying on fruits for nutrition. They also consume leaves and insects.\u00a0<\/p>
Why is it called a Skywalker gibbon?<\/h2>
And finally, the story behind the name… The scientists who first discovered the species in 2017 were Star Wars<\/em> fans. It only seemed natural that they should name the gibbon after their favourite character. <\/p>
Read more about the discovery of Skywalker gibbons in Myanmar<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Footage from when scientists first discovered the Skywalker hoolock gibbon in 2017. Credit: Zoological Society of London<\/figcaption><\/figure> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Where does the\u00a0endangered Skywalker hoolock\u00a0gibbon get its unusual name? Why do they sing? And what do they eat? Learn all about this endangered ape with our expert guide. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":35979,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"2"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/02\/skywalker-hoolock-gibbon-where-they-live-their-incredible-song-and-the-story-behind-their-star-wars-name.jpg",1575,1050,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/02\/skywalker-hoolock-gibbon-where-they-live-their-incredible-song-and-the-story-behind-their-star-wars-name-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/02\/skywalker-hoolock-gibbon-where-they-live-their-incredible-song-and-the-story-behind-their-star-wars-name-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/02\/skywalker-hoolock-gibbon-where-they-live-their-incredible-song-and-the-story-behind-their-star-wars-name-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/02\/skywalker-hoolock-gibbon-where-they-live-their-incredible-song-and-the-story-behind-their-star-wars-name-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/02\/skywalker-hoolock-gibbon-where-they-live-their-incredible-song-and-the-story-behind-their-star-wars-name-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/02\/skywalker-hoolock-gibbon-where-they-live-their-incredible-song-and-the-story-behind-their-star-wars-name.jpg",1575,1050,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Where does the\u00a0endangered Skywalker hoolock\u00a0gibbon get its unusual name? Why do they sing? And what do they eat? Learn all about this endangered ape with our expert guide.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/35978"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

What do Skywalker\u00a0hoolock gibbons eat?<\/h2>Skywalker\u00a0gibbons are frugivorous, primarily relying on fruits for nutrition. They also consume leaves and insects.\u00a0<\/p>

Why is it called a Skywalker gibbon?<\/h2>And finally, the story behind the name… The scientists who first discovered the species in 2017 were Star Wars<\/em> fans. It only seemed natural that they should name the gibbon after their favourite character. <\/p>

What do Skywalker\u00a0hoolock gibbons eat?<\/h2>
Skywalker\u00a0gibbons are frugivorous, primarily relying on fruits for nutrition. They also consume leaves and insects.\u00a0<\/p>