An Analysis of Gibbon Call Phrases in hybrids and their parent species
Mentor/s
Thomas Terleph
Participation Type
Poster
Abstract
Gibbons are small Asian apes that live in stable territories and produce loud, species-specific songs, often in coordinated male/female duets. Two closely related species with conspicuously different songs are white-handed (Hylobates lar) and pileated gibbons (Hylobates pileatus). In Khao Yai National Park, Thailand, there is a small contact zone of co-occurrence where the species sometimes hybridize. One song phrase produced by hybrid females differs from that of both parent species, but no other hybrid singing has been systematically analyzed, and analysis of male hybrid song has never been reported. Here we describe how male trills, song phrases containing short, rapidly delivered notes, differ between species and show an intermediate number of notes and note rate in hybrid animals. If gibbon vocalizations act as a reproductive isolating mechanism between species, then the intermediate song characteristics of hybrids may be less attractive to potential mates of either parent species and thus potentially account for the small number of hybrid individuals (6-8%) found in the area where both species overlap.
College and Major available
Biology
Academic Level
Undergraduate student
Location
Digital Commons & West Campus West Building University Commons
Start Day/Time
4-25-2025 12:00 PM
End Day/Time
4-25-2025 2:00 PM
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
An Analysis of Gibbon Call Phrases in hybrids and their parent species
Digital Commons & West Campus West Building University Commons
Gibbons are small Asian apes that live in stable territories and produce loud, species-specific songs, often in coordinated male/female duets. Two closely related species with conspicuously different songs are white-handed (Hylobates lar) and pileated gibbons (Hylobates pileatus). In Khao Yai National Park, Thailand, there is a small contact zone of co-occurrence where the species sometimes hybridize. One song phrase produced by hybrid females differs from that of both parent species, but no other hybrid singing has been systematically analyzed, and analysis of male hybrid song has never been reported. Here we describe how male trills, song phrases containing short, rapidly delivered notes, differ between species and show an intermediate number of notes and note rate in hybrid animals. If gibbon vocalizations act as a reproductive isolating mechanism between species, then the intermediate song characteristics of hybrids may be less attractive to potential mates of either parent species and thus potentially account for the small number of hybrid individuals (6-8%) found in the area where both species overlap.
Students' Information
Hailey White, biology major, graduating May 2025.