Hoolock hoolock (Harlan, 1834)

Taxonomy and Naming

The western hoolock gibbon, scientifically named Hoolock hoolock, is a primate belonging to the gibbon family Hylobatidae.

Geographical Range

This species occurs in Assam, Mizoram, and Meghalaya in India, Bangladesh, and parts of Myanmar that lie west of the Chindwin River.

Habitat

In India and Bangladesh, western hoolock gibbons live in areas with continuous canopy broad-leaved wet evergreen and mixed evergreen forests, including dipterocarp forests, and are often found in mountainous regions.

Ecological Role

The species acts as an important seed disperser.

Plant Diet Components

Its diet is mostly made up of ripe fruits, and also includes smaller amounts of flowers, leaves, and shoots.

Non-Plant Diet Components

It also eats non-plant foods including silkworms, ants, and a variety of other insect species.

Seasonal Diet Preference

In the monsoon season of northeast India, insects are the second most preferred food of this species, after the fruit of Artocarpus chaplasha, a fruit-bearing tree in the same genus as jackfruit.