Buff-Cheeked Gibbon

Gibbons are known for a specialized form of swinging locomotion called brachiation. Bending its slender fingers, the hand forms a hook at the end of its long arm. Hooking onto a branch, the gibbon then swings itself forward to the next branch.

Gibbons are excellently adapted to life in the rainforest canopy. For example, these lesser apes are built for swinging among the trees with long arms and fingers. Gibbons are famous for their loud musical calls, which can carry over long distances to communicate through the dense foliage. Visitors to Gibbon Islands have the first-hand opportunity to see their aerial acrobatics and hear their melodic songs.

Constructed in 1974, Gibbon Islands replaced the Zoo Summer Opera Pavilion. Visitors walk across a wooden bridge as they gaze up at the gibbons swinging on giant jungle gyms built on lushly landscaped islands.