Mueller’s Gibbon (Hylobates muelleri)

MORPHOLOGY:
This species has relatively long forearms which assist it in suspensory behavior. This species has throat sac located beneath the chin to help enhance the calls. Mueller’s gibbon lacks a tail, caudal vertebrae. The average body mass for an adult male Mueller’s gibbon is around 5.7 kilograms, and for the female it is also around 5.7 kilograms (Fleagle, 1988). The pelage color ranges from gray to brown with a lighter ring of hair surrounding the face. The hair on top of the head is darker than the body hair.

RANGE:
Mueller’s gibbon is found on the island of Borneo. This species is found in semideciduous monsoon forests and tropical evergreen forests, and these are either of primary or secondary forest types.

ECOLOGY:
Mueller’s gibbon is a frugivorous species, but will also consume immature leaves and insects. Mueller’s gibbon prefers to consume fruits high in sugar. This an arboreal and a diurnal species. This species sleeps and rests in the emergent trees (Leighton, 1987).

LOCOMOTION:
Mueller’s gibbon is a true brachiator which means it moves by suspensory behavior (Fleagle, 1988). The brachiation is of a type where mueller’s gibbon throws itself from tree to tree over gaps of 10 meters or more using there arms (Fleagle, 1988). This species also climbs when moving slowly and feeding (Fleagle, 1988). This species is also able to move for short distances by bipedalism (Fleagle, 1988).

SOCIAL BEHAVIOR:
Mueller’s gibbon has a monogamous mating and social system. The basic group structure is the breeding pair and their offspring. Both males and females emigrate from their natal group around adolescence. This is a territorial species. In this species the females tend to be more dominant over the males.

VOCAL COMMUNICATION:
duetting: These are vocalizations which occur between the breeding male and female, and is dominated by the female. This vocalization is important because it helps to maintain the pair bond between the breeding pair and also it helps to establish and maintain the territory.

OLFACTORY COMMUNICATION:

VISUAL COMMUNICATION:

TACTILE COMMUNICATION:
social grooming: This is when one individual grooms another and is used to reinforce the bonds between individuals.

REPRODUCTION:
Mueller’s gibbon gives birth to a single offspring.

REFERENCES:
Burton, Frances. 1995. The Multimedia Guide to the Non-human Primates. Prentice-Hall Canada Inc.

Fleagle, John G. 1988. Primate Adaptation and Evolution. Academic Press.

Leighton, D.R. 1987. Gibbons: Territoriality and Monogamy. In Primate Societies. eds. B.B. Smuts, D.L. Cheney, R.M. Seyfarth, R.W. Wrangham, and T.T. Struhsaker. University of Chicago Press.

Last Updated: October 8, 2003.
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