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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
White-handed gibbons have no tails.
THE REAL WORLD
The real White-handed gibbon
- Scientific name
- Hylobates lar
- Japanese name
- シロテテナガザル
- Group
- Land mammals
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Primates
- Family
- Hylobatidae
- Genus
- Hylobates
It is an ape, a close relative of humans, and lives in pairs up in the trees of Southeast Asian forests.
Its hands and feet have white fur, and its long arms help it swing from branch to branch.
Its far-carrying calls strengthen the bond between a pair and tell other gibbons that this is their territory.
How the White-handed gibbon lives
Pairs sing duets in the morning. They eat ripe fruit as well as leaves, flowers and insects. They spend time in sleeping trees from before dusk until the following morning.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebBasic data
- Size
- Head and body length: 45–60 cm上野動物園
- Weight
- 5–6 kg上野動物園
- Lifespan
- up to 30 years in the wild, up to 44 years in captivityUniversity of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
- Diet
- Fruit, nuts, leaves, insects, and other foods上野動物園
- Range
- Southeast Asia: Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand上野動物園
Where the White-handed gibbon has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- シロテテナガザル
- 简体中文
- 白掌长臂猿
- 繁體中文
- 白掌長臂猿
- 한국어
- 흰손긴팔원숭이
- Español
- Gibón de manos blancas
- Français
- Gibbon à mains blanches
- Deutsch
- Weißhandgibbon
- Português (Brasil)
- Gibão-de-mãos-brancas
- Italiano
- Lar
- हिन्दी
- लार गिबन
- العربية
- جبون لار
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Owa serudung
- Tiếng Việt
- Vượn tay trắng
- Русский
- Белорукий гиббон
- Türkçe
- Beyaz elli gibon
- ไทย
- ชะนีมือขาว
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 上野動物園 — シロテテナガザルChecked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Hylobates larChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the White-handed gibbon, look for this
- Look for the white fur around the face.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
上野動物園EXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the White-handed gibbon
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Hylobatidae
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