CreatureData

Silvery gibbon

Hylobates moloch (Audebert, 1798)

ENEndangeredprimates

The silvery gibbon (Hylobates moloch) is a species in the family Hylobatidae, order Primates. Recorded adults weigh 6.05 kg to 6.5 kg and live up to 40 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Endangered.

Silvery gibbon (Hylobates moloch)
Photo: Petr Hamerník · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the silvery gibbon

Weight
6.05 kg – 6.5 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
40 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Frugivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
57 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Gestation
210 days – 217 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
1src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
5 years – 7.8 yearssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
0.475src 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

Where does the silvery gibbon live?

Not recorded

What is the silvery gibbon?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The silvery gibbon (Hylobates moloch), also known as the Javan gibbon, is a primate in the gibbon family Hylobatidae. It is endemic to the Indonesian island of Java, where it inhabits undisturbed rainforests up to an altitude of 2,450 m (8,040 ft). It has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2008, as the wild population is estimated to comprise less than 2500 mature individuals.

Its coat is bluish-grey, with a dark grey or black cap. Like all gibbons, the silvery gibbon lacks an external tail, has dorsally placed scapulae, and reduced flexibility in its lumbar region. It has long, curved fingers and very long forelimbs relative to its hind limbs. On average, it reaches 8 kg (18 lb) in weight.

It is diurnal and arboreal, climbing trees skilfully and brachiating through the forests. Brachiation is possible because of its mobile wrist joints, full rotation of the upper arm, and the ability to lock elbows in suspension. Its diet consists of fruits, leaves, and flowers.

Every three years, on average, the female gives birth to a single young, after a gestation of seven months. The offspring is nursed for about 18 months and lives with the family group until it is fully mature at about eight to ten years old.

From the Wikipedia article “Silvery gibbon” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Silvery_gibbon&oldid=1369214360), 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 silvery gibbon endangered?

The silvery gibbon is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Endangered species. What the categories mean.

How is the silvery gibbon classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderPrimates
  5. familyHylobatidae
  6. genusHylobates
  7. SpeciesHylobates moloch (Audebert, 1798)

Synonyms Hylobates cinera, Hylobates javanicus, Hylobates lar pongoalsoni, Hylobates leucisca, Hylobates pongoalsoni, Pithecus cinereus, Simia leucisca, Simia moloch

Other names and names in other languages (31)
  • Javan gibbonEnglish
  • Javan gibbonEnglish
  • Javan gibbonEnglish
  • Moloch gibbonEnglish
  • Moloch gibbonEnglish
  • Owa JawaEnglish
  • Owa JawaEnglish
  • Silvery Javan gibbonEnglish
  • Silvery Javan gibbonEnglish
  • جبون فضيArabic
  • جبون جافانArabic
  • gibon stříbrnýCzech
  • SilbergibbonGerman
  • Γίββωνας της ΙάβαςGreek
  • Gibón CenicientoSpanish
  • hopeagibboniFinnish
  • Gibbon CendréFrench
  • גיבון כסוף-פרווהHebrew
  • ezüst gibbonHungarian
  • Gibbone cenerinoItalian
  • Gibbone di GiavaItalian
  • ワウワウテナガザルJapanese
  • SølvgibbonNorwegian Bokmål
  • ZilvergibbonDutch
  • Grijze GibbonDutch
  • Javaanse GibbonDutch
  • gibbon srebrzystyPolish
  • Gibão-prateadoPortuguese
  • Серебристый гиббонRussian
  • ชะนีชวาThai
  • Гібон сріблястийUkrainian

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the silvery gibbon

Other species in the same genus Hylobates.

CompareSilvery gibbon vs Lar gibbonSilvery gibbon vs Müller's gibbonSilvery gibbon vs Pileated gibbonSilvery gibbon vs Agile gibbon

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the silvery gibbon?

An adult silvery gibbon weighs 6.05 kg – 6.5 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the silvery gibbon endangered?

The silvery gibbon is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

How long does the silvery gibbon live?

The silvery gibbon has a recorded lifespan of 40 years.

How long is the silvery gibbon pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 210 days – 217 days.

What kind of animal is the silvery gibbon?

The silvery gibbon (Hylobates moloch) belongs to the family Hylobatidae in the order Primates.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Silvery gibbon (Hylobates moloch). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/silvery-gibbon

MLA

“Silvery gibbon (Hylobates moloch).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/silvery-gibbon.

BibTeX
@misc{silvery_gibbon_2026,
  title = {Silvery gibbon (Hylobates moloch)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/silvery-gibbon},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}