Also known as the eastern black crested gibbon, this relatively unfamiliar ape is one of the rarest primates in the world, but that precarious position is a marked improvement on its apparent status a mere two decades ago. Until it was rediscovered by scientists from Fauna & Flora International (FFI) in 2002, the cao vit gibbon was presumed to be extinct. Today, the entire world population is clinging to survival by its hooked fingertips in a small, fragmented forest on the border between Vietnam and China.

CV highlights

Like all gibbons, the species is an astounding acrobat. It is superbly adapted to its treetop habitat, capable of careering through the forest canopy at breakneck speed by means of its long, lithe limbs. For good measure, it can also move on two legs, balancing on boughs at vertiginous heights like some fearless, furry high-wire walker.

The adults differ markedly in color. Males are all black, while females are buff-yellow with a conspicuous black, pale-fringed face mask and black crown. For youngsters, it's more complicated; all cao vit gibbons are born black, but females gradually assume their mother's fur color, whereas males remain black. As a rule of thumb, if he's a fella, he doesn't turn yella.

Hunted and hemmed in

In common with all the world's gibbon species, the cao vit gibbon is threatened with extinction, but it is closer to the brink then almost any other primate. The main threats to its survival are all too familiar; hunting has historically taken a heavy toll, but the destruction and degradation of its dwindling habitat has also seriously undermined its long-term survival prospects. Firewood collection, extraction of non-timber forest products and other forms of encroachment have inexorably nibbled at the edges of the gibbon's final refuge, bringing the animals into increasingly close contact with humans and, in turn, making them more vulnerable to poaching.