Sunday, February 04, 2007
Siamang
Diurnal. They sleep upright, sitting on their ischial callosities, arms folded and head between knees, unlike great apes who build sleeping nests or platforms. Well-developed forearms and limited body weight and hooklike hands facilitate brachiation. May hold or carry objects with feet. Occasionally, they walk bipedally on the ground or along branches with arms held above the head for balance. In the wild, they rarely decend to earth. The inflatable throat sac acts as resonating chamber for vocal cords.
The siamangs' loud calls usually occur only in the morning hours and act to help maintain territorial possession as well as cohesion within the siamang family group. The hooting-barking call can be heard for 2 miles. The songs have a definite pattern with repeatable sequences and a definite introduction, middle and end. In this great call duet, the male and female each sing different but coordinated parts
Bibliography:
MacDonald, David. 1987. The Encyclopedia of Mammals, Equinox, Oxford.
The siamangs' loud calls usually occur only in the morning hours and act to help maintain territorial possession as well as cohesion within the siamang family group. The hooting-barking call can be heard for 2 miles. The songs have a definite pattern with repeatable sequences and a definite introduction, middle and end. In this great call duet, the male and female each sing different but coordinated parts
Bibliography:
MacDonald, David. 1987. The Encyclopedia of Mammals, Equinox, Oxford.
# posted by saffron @ 9:36 AM 
