Chimp Vs. Gibbon Ape Differences

By Emmett Johnson

A primate is a mammal with a high intelligence and large brains compared to their physical size. The primate group comprises lemurs, tarsiers, monkeys, lorises, and apes. The apes divide into two groups, the great apes, and the “lesser” apes. The greater apes consist of chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, gorillas, and the “lesser” apes are the gibbons and siamangs. The primate community also calls lesser apes the “smaller-bodied” apes. 

The greater and smaller-bodied apes have a lot of overlapping similarities. Both are diurnal, awake during the day and asleep at night. Another characteristic greater and smaller-bodied apes share is being tailless.  

White Handed Gibbons 

A special characteristic of white-handed gibbons is that they have high acrobatics skills and are the fastest primate. The white-handed gibbons tend to live in the canopies of trees and use their acrobatic skills to swing from tree to tree. Gibbons also have an exceptionally good balance and have been observed walking across thin branches.  

While speaking with Tawnya, a caregiver at Project Chimps, she has worked with primates for over twenty years. In her experience she has previously worked with a white-handed gibbon. Her experience with the chimpanzees and the gibbon helps her to recognize the differences between the greater and smaller-bodied apes.

Differences 

What makes the white-handed gibbons a smaller-bodied ape instead of a greater ape is size, sexual dimorphism, and physical resemblance to monkeys. Chimps and gibbon apes have a significant size difference. Chimps are larger and weigh between 88-157 pounds, whereas gibbon apes tend to weigh between 15-20 pounds. 

Greater apes can solve puzzles quicker than smaller-bodied apes. White-handed gibbons do not have the same finger movement abilities as greater apes, which may affect their ability to solve puzzles. Here is the paper on white-handed gibbons and their cognitive abilities for further reading. 

The way gibbons communicate is by having one long hoot. Gibbons have an air sack on their throat that fills with air so they can let out a long, continuous note. The sound can change pitches in only one call. Comparatively, chimpanzees have a more complex vocalization. Chimps give out several types of hoots that change in pitches throughout their call. 

White-handed gibbons typically live in family units of two to six members. These gibbons live as lifelong partners of two parents with their children. They work to raise the children together. This feature more closely resembles human family dynamics than chimps do. Chimps live in groups that have hierarchies that change based on their relationship with the alpha. 

While chimp and white-handed gibbon apes have their differences, it is what makes each species special and unique. 

Would you like to learn more about apes? You can read more here at our blog!