Homosexual behaviour in wild white-handed gibbons (Hylobates lar)

Homosexual mounting in apes and prosimians is rare. Male-male mounting was observed between an adult male white-handed gibbon and an adolescent male in the same group. The behaviour is discussed in terms of the gibbon group's social structure and the development of the adolescent. It is suggested that this behaviour provides reassurance for the adolescent gibbon.     

The yellow-cheeked gibbon (Hylobates gabriellae) in nam bai cat tien (southern vietnam) revisited

Data concerning the status, habitat, and vocalizations of yellow-cheeked crested gibbons (Hylobates gabriellae) were collected during a short field trip to the Nam Bai Cat Tien National Park (southern Vietnam). Nam Bai Cat Tien may be the southernmost locality where crested gibbons (i.e. theHylobates concolor group) still survive. Fewer songs were heard at Nam Bai Cat Tien National Park than at other crested gibbon sites visited by the author. At least two gibbon groups appear to have been greatly reduced in number since previous surveys in the park. There is some evidence that both the gibbon population and the gibbon habitat in Nam Bai Cat Tien are disturbed. The first case of a great call solo song in wild gibbons of theconcolor group is reported. Great calls ofH. gabriellae are described and documented with sonagrams for the first time. They differ from those previously described forH. leucogenys.     

利用染色体涂染方法建立人和白眉长臂猿(Hylobates hoolock)的比较染色体图谱

除人Y染色体外,本文采用生物素标记的人全部整条染色体特异探针与白眉长臂猿(Hylobates hoolock)有丝分裂中期分裂相进行染色体原位杂交即染色体涂染法以研究人和白眉长臂猿染色体之间的同源性。在白眉长臂猿18对常染色体上检测出了与人22对常染色体同源的59对染色体片段,确定了人和白眉长臂猿之间的精度较高的染色体连锁群。结果表明:自人与白眉长臂猿的祖先分歧以来,大量的染色体间重排(至少发生了39次易位)和染色体内的重排导致了二者核型的差异。根据杂交结果绘制了首份人和白眉长臂猿比较染色体图谱,并结合已有的人和白掌长臂猿(Hylobates lar)(2n=44)和合趾长臂猿(Hylobates syndactylus)(2n=50)的比较染色体图谱对长臂猿属的染色体进化作了初步的探讨。     

Interactive singing of a male Mueller's gibbon with a simulated neighbor

This study provides evidence for interactive singing, or countersinging, in the dawn song of a male Mueller's gibbon. Tape-recorded answering calls from a simulated neighbor were initiated at the subject's baseline rate (every 18 sec), then successively at every 14 sec, 10 sec, 18 sec, 22 sec, and 26 sec. Two types of evidence for interactive singing were considered. First, the subject's initiation rate significantly increased when the initiation rate of the simulated neighbor increased (but did not decrease when the simulated neighbor's rate decreased). Second, the subject's rate of interruption of the simulated neighbor's vocalizations remained at the same low level regardless of the initiation rate of the simulated neighbor; these interruption rates were, in all cases, significantly lower than would have been expected by chance if interactive singing were not occurring. Evolutional value of interactive singing is considered in relation to demonstration of individual fitness and achievement of clear communication between neighboring groups.     

西黑冠长臂猿雄性取代前后鸣叫行为的变化

本文通过长时间的野外监测,首次报道了西黑冠长臂猿的一次雄性取代行为。一个研究群体(G3)中的1 只亚成年雄性长臂猿在10 岁左右取代了相邻群体(G2)中的成年雄性。整个取代过程持续了15 d时间。雄性取代发生前,G2 中雌雄的配对关系已经不稳固,这为雄性取代提供了机会。而G2 与G3 群的一次长时间冲突可能消耗了G2 中成年雄性大量体能,这为G3 中的亚成年雄性打败并取代G2 中的成年雄性创造了机会。本研究在取代发生后,对新形成群体的鸣叫行为进行了连续4 个月的监测。结果表明与处于稳定时期的G2 群相比,新形成群体的鸣叫频次更高,但每次二重唱中雌性的平均激动鸣叫次数降低。这证明了Geissmann (1986)提出的假说,新配对的群体应该在尽量短的时间内多练习二重唱,这样导致新配对群体的鸣叫频率明显升高。虽然经历了4 个月的合唱练习,新形成群体的激动鸣叫次数仍然偏低,并且两只雌性同时激动鸣叫的频次也比较低。这说明新形成的配对之间配合依然不默契,或者说明配对之间的关系还不稳定。     

Calling in wild silvery gibbons (Hylobates moloch) in Java (Indonesia): behavior, phylogeny, and conservation

Hardly any behavioral data are available for the silvery gibbon (Hylobates moloch), an endangered primate that is endemic to the island of Java, Indonesia. We studied the singing behavior of the easternmost population of this species in the Dieng mountains, central Java, in 1998-1999. We aimed to document the timing of singing, quantify the amount of singing by the respective sexes, and explore the role of bioacoustics in density estimation. A total of 122 song bouts in at least 12 groups were monitored. No duet songs were heard. Most of the song bouts (91.5%) were female solo song bouts or female scream bouts. In contrast to an earlier study on the westernmost population of silvery gibbons, during which few if any male songs were heard, at least 8.5% of the song bouts in our study were male solo song bouts. They were significantly longer in duration than the female songs. All male song bouts uttered before dawn (0520 hr) were produced in a chorus fashion, with at least three individuals participating. Choruses occurred about once every 8.5 days, and lasted longer and occurred earlier than female solo song bouts. Most male songs (60%) started between 0355-0440 hr, when it was still dark. All female songs, in contrast, started after 0500 hr, and female singing activity peaked around 0600. Regular male singing, male chorusing, and regular predawn singing have not previously been reported for silvery gibbons. Similarly separated periods of male and female solo songs and the absence of duetting have been observed in Kloss's gibbons (H. klossii) on the Mentawai Islands, and may represent synapomorphies shared by both species. The pronounced individual-specific song characteristics of silvery gibbons allow accurate mapping of groups. The density of gibbons at our study site was established to be 1.9-3.7 groups/km2, corresponding to 6.7-13.1 individuals/km2. We reassess the suitability of gibbon songs as a means of estimating the density and size of gibbon populations, and discuss the proximate causes for the absence of duetting in silvery gibbons.     

黑长臂猿的群体大小及组成

黑长臂猿（Ｈｙｌｏｂａｔｅｓｃｏｎｃｏｌｏｒ）是长臂猿科中较为原始的类群,对其野外行为生态习性近年来已有所报道,但意见不一。本文根据近两年的野外观察,认为黑长臂猿的群体大小为４．３±１．０只,（范围３—６,ｎ＝７）,群体组成为１成年雄性,１—２成年雌性,１—３后代个体,群体之大小除与其本身的特点有关外,还与其赖以生存的生境条件好坏有关。     

Proximity association in polygynous western black crested gibbons (Nomascus concolor jingdongensis): network structure and seasonality

We investigated the structure and seasonality of the proximity network in a group of polygynous western black crested gibbons (Nomascus concolor) using social network analysis. The spatial proximity changed seasonally and was affected by temperature and rainfall. Preferred proximity association was not distributed randomly among individuals. Kinship was one explanation for the social structure, as offspring preferred to maintain close proximity with their mothers. The proximity of infants to mothers decreased with age, and independent offspring had lower proximity to mothers than dependent ones. We found that the adult male had different proximity relationships with two different adult females. The frequency of proximity between the male and the infant-carrying female was significantly higher than that between the male and the female who had immigrated carrying one offspring of uncertain paternity into the group. Infanticide avoidance and/or predation protection for dependent infants might explain the proximity relationship differences. Temperature influenced group proximity association, with individual proximity increasing in the cold months and decreasing in the hot months. Group proximity decreased in months with higher anthropogenic disturbance.     

一夫一妻西黑冠长臂猿的群体活动及其影响因素

高海拔栖息地中灵长类动物的行为适应一直以来都是灵长类研究中的重点内容,同物种在不同栖息地的行为差异也成为近年的热点问题。西黑冠长臂猿(Nomascus concolor)是我国国家一级重点保护野生动物,也是我国长臂猿科动物中种群数量最大的物种,滇中哀牢山、无量山是该物种的集中分布区。哀牢山和无量山的西黑冠长臂猿栖息地存在显著差异,且其社会组织不同。本研究首次报道了在哀牢山高海拔栖息地中一个一夫一妻长臂猿群体的活动时间分配和食性季节性变化。2014—2015年,采用3 min间隔瞬时扫描法记录了长臂猿的行为和食性,468 h的行为数据结果表明,移动行为比例最高38.1%,其次是休息行为36.4%,取食行为23.3%,最少为鸣叫行为1.9%和其他行为1.3%。3 784次取食行为可辨识食物类型,总体上叶类食物占41.1%,其次是果实类食物33.3%,花类食物21.0%,附生植物3.9%,其他食物0.6%。长臂猿的时间分配和食性在雨季和旱季均具有显著差异,在低温旱季,长臂猿增加休息时间,减少移动时间,提高叶类和花类食物的取食比例;在高温雨季,长臂猿增加移动时间,减少休息时间和取食时间,取食更...     

Singing behavior and singing functions of black‐crested gibbons (Nomascus concolor jingdongensis) at Mt. Wuliang,central Yunnan,China

We used data on loud duetted and solo songs collected from one habituated polygynous group of black‐crested gibbons (Nomascus concolor jingdongensis) on Mt. Wuliang, Yunnan, to test several hypotheses about the functions of these songs. The major functions proposed for loud gibbon songs include resource defense, mate defense, pairbonding, group cohesion and mate attraction. Duet bouts are generally initiated by adult males, who select the highest trees near to ridges or on steep slopes as singing trees. Such trees facilitate voice transmission and inter‐group communication. Singing trees tended to be located near important food patches and sleeping sites, which supports the resource defense hypothesis. The adult male and two adult females always sang interactively, alternating male phrases with the females' stereotyped great calls, to produce the duets, and females rarely produced great calls if they were more than 30 m from the male. The two females usually produced great calls synchronously during the duet, especially when they were close together. These features support both the mate defense and pairbonding hypotheses. The number of great calls and their degree of synchrony transmit information about spatial relationships and possibly pairbond strength to members to neighboring groups and floating animals. During or after the duet bouts, the adult females and juvenile moved toward to the adult male; and group members maintained a close spatial relationship, which supports the group cohesion hypothesis. Other incidents observed suggest a mate competition role for duets. The adult male always sang when the females started duetting with the subadult male. The subadult male sang solo bouts, but they were not more frequent or longer than bouts initiated by the adult male. Although mate attraction is the likely function of subadult solos, it was not convincingly demonstrated. In conclusion, all hypotheses concerning the function of singing are supported by at least some of the data, and none can be excluded. Am. J. Primatol. 71:539–547, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.