Siamang
Symphalangus syndactylus (Raffles, 1821)
The siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus) is a mammal in the order Primates and the family Hylobatidae, within the superfamily Hominoidea. It is a medium-sized primate with an adult body mass of 10.84 kg, and it is a diurnal, arboreal frugivore.
Quick facts about the siamang
Gestation lasts from 230 to 234 days, litters hold 1 young, and sexual maturity comes at 6.4 years. The siamang is listed as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List, a threatened category.
- Weight
- 10.8 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Height
- up to 1 msrc for Height
- Lifespan
- 38 years – 43 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Frugivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- forestsrc for Habitat
- Gestation
- 231 dayssrc for Gestation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 1.02src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 6 years – 6.72 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 0.4src for Litters or clutches a year
- Active
- By day (diurnal)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Arborealsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the siamang
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the siamang live?
Not recorded
What is the siamang?
The siamang (, also UK: ; Symphalangus syndactylus) is an endangered arboreal, black-furred gibbon native to the tropical rainforests of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. The largest of the gibbons, the siamang can be twice the size of other gibbons, reaching 1 m (3.3 ft) in height, and weighing up to 14 kg (31 lb). It is the only species in the genus Symphalangus. Fossils of siamangs date back to the Middle Pleistocene.
Two features distinguish the siamang from other gibbons. First, two digits on each foot—the second and third toes—are partially joined by a membrane, hence the specific name syndactylus, from the Ancient Greek σύν, sun-, "with" + δάκτυλος, daktulos, "finger". Second, a large gular sac (throat pouch), found in both males and females of the species, can be inflated to the size of the siamang's head, allowing it to make resonating calls.
Two subspecies of the siamang are the nominate Sumatran siamang (S. s. syndactylus) and the Malaysian siamang (S. s. continentis, in Malay Peninsula). Otherwise, the Malaysian individuals are only a population. The siamang occurs sympatrically with other gibbons; its two ranges are entirely within the combined ranges of the agile gibbon and the lar gibbon.
The siamang can live to around 40 years in captivity. While the illegal pet trade takes a toll on wild populations, the principal threat to the siamang is habitat loss in both Indonesia and Malaysia. The palm oil production industry is clearing large swaths of forest, reducing the habitat of the siamang, along with those of other species, such as the Sumatran tiger.
From the Wikipedia article “Siamang” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Siamang&oldid=1380581695), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the siamang endangered?
The siamang is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Endangered species.
How is the siamang classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderPrimates
- familyHylobatidae
- genusSymphalangus
- SpeciesSymphalangus syndactylus (Raffles, 1821)
Synonyms Hylobates syndactylus, Simia gibbon, Simia syndactyla, Symphalangus continentis, Symphalangus gibbon, Symphalangus subfossilis, Symphalangus syndactylus continentis, Symphalangus syndactylus volzi, Symphalangus volzi
Other names and names in other languages (26)
- HimbèeAcehnese
- قرد السيامنجArabic
- ΣιαμάνγκGreek
- ΣυμφάλαγγοςGreek
- غبغبیPersian
- siamankiFinnish
- סיאמנגHebrew
- सियामंगHindi
- sziamangHungarian
- フクロテナガザルJapanese
- სიამანგიGeorgian
- 큰긴팔원숭이Korean
- SiamangasLithuanian
- Siamang wielkiPolish
- سیامانگWestern Panjabi
- SiamangoPortuguese
- СиамангRussian
- SiamanguAlbanian
- СијамангSerbian
- ชะนีดำใหญ่Thai
- ชะนีเซียมังThai
- SiyamangTurkish
- СіамангUkrainian
- Сіаманг звичайнийUkrainian
- Vượn mựcVietnamese
- 合趾猿Chinese
Relatives of the siamang
Other species in the same family Hylobatidae.
Lar gibbon
Hylobates lar
Owa Jawa
Hylobates moloch
Grey gibbon
Hylobates muelleri
Capped gibbon
Hylobates pileatus
Agile gibbon
Hylobates agilis
Black gibbon
Nomascus concolor
CompareSiamang vs Lar gibbonSiamang vs Owa JawaSiamang vs Grey gibbonSiamang vs Capped gibbon
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the siamang?
The siamang is a mammal in the order Primates, belonging to the family Hylobatidae and the superfamily Hominoidea.
How heavy is a siamang?
An adult Siamang has a body mass of 10.84 kg, with a highest reported value of 10.87 kg. This places it in the medium size class.
What does the siamang eat?
The siamang is a frugivore, placing it at the herbivore trophic level.
Is the siamang endangered?
Yes. The siamang is listed as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List, which is a threatened category.
How long does a siamang live?
The siamang has a lifespan of 38 years, and the highest value reported by sources is 43 years.
How many young does a siamang have?
A siamang has 1 young per litter, with 0.4 litters per year, after a gestation period of 231 days.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/siamang
“Siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/siamang.
@misc{siamang_2026,
title = {Siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/siamang},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}