The Hainan gibbon (Nomascus hainanus) is described as “The world’s most critically endangered primate.” In fact, its numbers are said to be much lower than any other primate on Earth. It’s found in just a single block of forest on Hainan Island, China, and nowhere else. Like so many similar creatures, it travels through the […]
Tag: Hainan gibbon
When the world’s rarest primate, the Hainan gibbon couples up, it’s a win for the species
The Hainan gibbon was once teetering and tottering at the precipice of extinction. In the 1950s, there were about 2,000 individuals living in Hainan, a tropical island at the southernmost tip of China, but 20 years later, poaching and habitat destruction nearly wiped the species out, leaving only seven to nine individuals. With conservation efforts, […]
Hainan gibbon decline charted in Chinese records
Historical Chinese documents have helped scientists to track the decline of the world’s rarest primates. Today, China has between 26 and 28 Hainan gibbons left, but government records that date back to the 17th Century show that gibbons were once widespread across half of the country. The apes began to disappear from the documents about […]