CRCritically EndangeredPartial review

Northern White-cheeked Gibbon

Nomascus leucogenys

Northern white-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys), a black gibbon with white cheek patches.

Northern white-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys).

Image: NasserHalaweh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

At a glance

IUCN category
CR · Critically Endangered
Animal group
Mammals
Population trend
Decreasing
Last verified

Conservation overview

The northern white-cheeked gibbon is a tree-swinging ape in which males are black with white cheeks and females are golden. It is assessed as Critically Endangered.

Pairs and families sing loud, complex duets through the canopy.

Range & habitat

Forests of Vietnam, Laos, and southern China.

Major threats

Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.

  • Deforestation
  • Hunting
  • Capture for the pet trade

Why it matters

A canopy ape of Indochina whose duets ring through the forest, the northern white-cheeked gibbon is a flagship for the region's vanishing rainforests.

A northern white-cheeked gibbon perched.

Northern white-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys); a zoo individual.

Image: Animalculum, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources

Sources for Northern White-cheeked Gibbon

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do male and female white-cheeked gibbons look different?
Adult males are black with bold white cheek patches, while females are golden-buff — a striking colour difference between the sexes seen across the crested gibbons (Nomascus).
Why is the northern white-cheeked gibbon Critically Endangered?
Published assessments cite deforestation, hunting, and capture for the pet trade. See the IUCN Red List for the current assessment.

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