Newborn Buff-cheeked Gibbons have bright-yellow fur. At around 6 months they turn black all over except on their cheeks, where their fur remains orangey. Males remain black but females change colour again, becoming orangey-yellow.
 
Buff-cheeked Gibbons live in the forest canopy in Cambodia and Vietnam. Essentially tree-dwelling, they don’t descend to ground level but can move around on their legs, using their arms for balance.
 
Like other gibbon species, they are monogamous. A gibbon family usually includes a couple and their young. The latter stay with their parents to the age of about 6 or 8 years, before leaving to establish their own territory and family.
 
All gibbon species are endangered due to the destruction of their habitat and to being hunted for the illegal pet trade and for traditional Asian medicine.