Lucy HicksFor animals that spend most of their lives high in the trees, gaps in the forest might as well be the Grand Canyon.
These chasms are especially hard on gibbons; although larger males can leap across some canopy gaps, females and juveniles can be cut off from food, companions, and even potential mates.
Now, a new study suggests a couple of sturdy ropes could literally help bridge the gap.Gibbons are at risk of extinction across Southeast Asia, largely because of habitat loss.
With just 30 individuals left, the Hainan gibbon (Nomascus hainanus) is considered the rarest primate on Earth. All of these animals live on the Bawangling National Nature Reserve in Hainan, an island province in southern China.