This species lives in family groups, with one reproducing male and female, and their offspring.

Subspecies
Five.

Life span
44 years.

Statistics
Head and body length: Female: 42-58cm, Male: 43.5-58.5cm. Weight: Female: 4.4-6.8kg, Male 4.9-7.6kg.

Physical description
White-handed gibbons have a white face and white hands and feet. Their fur ranges from cream to black, and the variation is unrelated to gender or age.

Distribution
They range across China, Thailand, Laos, Burma, Malay Peninsula and Sumatra.

Habitat
White-handed gibbons inhabit primary and secondary forest, dry deciduous and moist evergreen forest.

Diet
Fruit makes up 50 per cent of their diet, but they also feed on leaves, insects, flowers, stems and buds.

Behaviour
They have a territory of 12-53ha, which the male defends from other males and the female defends from other females. They are diurnal and arboreal. Females start a loud howling call in the morning, which the male takes over as she finishes. The call probably serves to strengthen the pair bond and to warn intruders of their presence. They move through the forest by hanging from branches by their arms and moving on to other branches in a suspensory fashion. Using their long arms, they can bridge gaps of up to 10m.

Reproduction
The gestation period lasts for up to 205 days.

Conservation status
White-handed gibbons are in the Lower Risk category of the IUCN Red List.