Songs of hybrid gibbons (Hylobates lar × H. muelleri)

Two hybrid offspring, one male and one female, were produced by a Hylobates muelleri female mated to a Hylobates lar male at Micke Grove Zoo, Lodi, California. Songs of the hybrids were studied at adulthood and compared to the parental-type songs. The hybrid female song is uniquely different from either parental type. The hybrid male song resembles the male song of H. lar, but contains an element that may be unique to H. muelleri. The study demonstrates the utility of sound-spectographic analysis of hybrid vocalizations to further understanding of primate behavioral inheritance.