Cancel

gear Push settings

bars

homehome Home chatchat Notifications


The last place to go for a primate on the brink of extinction

The northern white-cheeked crested gibbon is running out of places to live in – literally. Perhaps the only habitat they can still find in the whole world is located deep in the wilderness of Vietnam, according to Conservation International. The organization conducted a census, and found that the biggest population by far is located there, […]

Mihai Andrei
July 20, 2011 @ 6:26 am

share Share

The northern white-cheeked crested gibbon is running out of places to live in – literally. Perhaps the only habitat they can still find in the whole world is located deep in the wilderness of Vietnam, according to Conservation International. The organization conducted a census, and found that the biggest population by far is located there, numbering 450 individuals.

The species is already technically extinct in China, and the numbers in Laos and other countries have gone down dramatically in the past years. This is but one of the 25 species of gibbons, all of which are endangered with some drawing extremely close to the brink of extinction. However, things are even worse than they would seem.

A species needs more than just barely survive; they need numbers which can account for genetic variety, otherwise, they will not be able to survive any other treats, be they natural or anthropic.

The white-cheeked gibbons are especially an interesting species. They are monogamous, and have been described as the most romantic primate species, because during the mating period, they sing to each other. They are also mostly vegetarian, and they rarely even touch the ground, jumping around from tree to tree.

share Share

Your Gum Is Shedding Microplastics into Your Saliva

One gram of chewing gum can release up to 600 microplastic particles into your body.

The Arctic Seafloor Is Full of Life — And We’re About to Destroy It

The Arctic Ocean is more than just icy waters, it harbors vibrant ecosystems — but it also harbors valuable oil, gas, and rare earth elements.

Beavers Built a $1.2M Dam for Free — And Saved a Czech River

A Czech project that was stalled for years is now completed — by beavers.

Climate change is about to erase $1.4 trillion in real estate value in the US

Homeownership is becoming increasingly unsustainable in high-risk areas as wildfires, floods, and hurricanes drive up insurance costs.

5 Everyday Products That Contain Hidden Lead—Are You at Risk?

Lead has made its way to not just your food but also to your lipstick and protein powder. Here's what we know.

First Ice-Free Day in the Arctic Could Happen by 2027, Study Warns

Climate change is heating up faster than we thought.

Big oil and chemical companies teamed up to "end plastic waste". They produced 1,000 times more than they cleaned up

"The Alliance to End Plastic Waste promised a $1.5 billion solution to plastic pollution. Five years later, it’s cleaned up less plastic than its members produce in two days.

Fiji is already relocating villages because of climate change

Dozens of villages have to move or be destroyed.

Cars Are Unwittingly Killing Millions of Bees Every Day, Scientists Reveal

Apart from pollution, pesticides, and deforestation, cars are also now found to be killing bees in large numbers.

Growing crops in the dark with "electro-agriculture" can revolutionize food production and free up over 90 percent of farmlands

In the future, photosynthesis could be replaced with electro-agriculture, a process that is four times more efficient and may do wonders for food security.