Baby White-Handed Gibbon Born At Philadelphia Zoo

PHILADELPHIA — A new member of the Philadelphia Zoo family arrived on Thursday, March 14 as a white-handed gibbon baby was born.

The baby, born to 35-year-old mom Phoenice and 34-year-old dad Mercury, has two older siblings at the zoo: 5-year-old brother Polaris and 2-year-old sister Ophelia.

The keeper team has named the baby boy Eros after the asteroid that orbits Mars.

The baby’s birth is a part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan breeding program to ensure the survival of this species and maintain a genetically diverse population.

Eros is healthy and continues to nurse from Phoenice who’s demonstrating all the right behaviors caring for him.

White-handed gibbons are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature with threats including hunting, the pet trade, and habitat loss.

"Philadelphia Zoo is proud to have such a strong history with breeding this endangered ape," Andrew J. Baker Curator of Primates and Small Mammals Michael Stern said. "Mom and dad have proven to be great parents over the years, and we can’t wait until the baby is a little older and our guests can watch him playing with big brother and sister."

White-handed gibbons are found in Southeast Asia in countries including China and Thailand and are considered to be one of the most acrobatic animals on the planet.

They move through the trees by brachiation: swinging hand over hand with the body suspended below. When on the ground, they walk and run upright on their hind legs, with arms held high for balance.

Males and females can be either blonde or dark-colored, which is determined by a hair color gene, not by sex.

White-handed gibbon babies are born after a 7-month gestation and cling to mom’s abdomen for the first few months of life. They remain dependent on mom until weaned around two years old. Gibbons are monogamous and often remain together for life.

At the Zoo, mom Phoenice and dad Mercury have had a total of 6 offspring included the newest baby. Their first child Leo is now at Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio; sons Aires and Orion are at Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, Washington; son Polaris and daughter Ophelia are at Philadelphia Zoo with mom, dad and new sibling. They can be seen at PECO Primate Reserve.