Siamangs Displays and Calls

Siamang calls are legendary. All gibbons can make amazingly loud sounds, and the siamangs vocalizations include howls and bellows magnified by the inflatable throat sac. These boisterous calls can be heard up to two miles away through forest vegetation and are used primarily for claiming territory, which can be as large as 50 acres.

Males, females and older offspring all get involved in the displays. Bahana is 3 ½ years old and calls with her parents. Her first calls sounded like a hoarse, high-pitched crowing vocalization!

Siamangs perform impressive athletic displays while they are doing the territorial calls, including swinging, stomping, shaking branches, leaping from tree to tree. Wayan (the male infant) clings tightly to his mom while she is displaying.

Siamang calls, sometimes lasting 30 minutes or more, can be heard daily in Primate World at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• Siamang
• Cheyenne Mountain Zoo