Müller's gibbon (''Hylobates muelleri''), also known as the southern grey gibbon, is a

primate Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians (monkeys and apes, the latter including huma ...

in the

gibbon Gibbons () are apes in the family Hylobatidae (). The family historically contained one genus, but now is split into four extant genera and 20 species. Gibbons live in subtropical and tropical rainforest from eastern Bangladesh to Northeast India ...

family,

Hylobatidae Gibbons () are apes in the family Hylobatidae (). The family historically contained one genus, but now is split into four extant genera and 20 species. Gibbons live in subtropical and tropical rainforest from eastern Bangladesh to Northeast India ...

Taxonomy

Formerly, the

western grey gibbon The western grey gibbon (''Hylobates abbotti''), also known as Abbot's grey gibbon, is a primate in the gibbon family, Hylobatidae. It was named after zoologist William Louis Abbott. Taxonomy Formerly, the western grey gibbon and northern grey ...

(''H. abbotti'') and

eastern grey gibbon The eastern grey gibbon or northern grey gibbon (''Hylobates funereus'') is a primate in the gibbon family, Hylobatidae. Taxonomy Formerly, the eastern grey gibbon and western grey gibbon (''H. abbotti'') were considered conspecific with the ...

(''H. funereus'') were considered conspecific with ''H. muelleri'', but more recent studies indicate that all three are distinct species, and both the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

and the

American Society of Mammalogists The American Society of Mammalogists (ASM) was founded in 1919. Its primary purpose is to encourage the study of mammals, and professions studying them. There are over 4,500 members of this society, and they are primarily professional scientists ...

consider them such.

Description

Unlike most gibbon species, Müller's gibbon does not show sexual dimorphism in its fur coloration. Its fur is grey- or brown-colored with a ring of bright fur around its face. On the head, it often has a darkly colored cap. Weighing between 4–8 kg, it ranks among the smaller of the gibbons. MuellersGibbon HylobatesMuelleri

Distribution and habitat

Müller's gibbon is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Kalimantan Kalimantan () is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It constitutes 73% of the island's area. The non-Indonesian parts of Borneo are Brunei and East Malaysia. In Indonesia, "Kalimantan" refers to the whole island of Borneo. In 2019, ...

in the island of

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...

, inhabiting the southeastern part of the island. It is found approximately south of the

Mahakam River The Mahakam River (Indonesian: ''Sungai Mahakam'') is third longest and volume discharge river in Borneo after Kapuas River and Barito River, it is located in Kalimantan, Indonesia. It flows from the district of Long Apari in the highlands of ...

and east of the

Barito River The Barito River is the second longest river in Borneo after the Kapuas River with a total length of and with a drainage basin of in South Kalimantan, Indonesia. It originates in the Muller Mountain Range, from where it flows southward int ...

Behaviour

Southern grey gibbons are diurnal rain forest dwellers, characterized by the long arms that all gibbons have, with which they

brachiate Brachiation (from "brachium", Latin for "arm"), or arm swinging, is a form of arboreal locomotion in which primates swing from tree limb to tree limb using only their arms. During brachiation, the body is alternately supported under each forelimb. ...

through the trees. They live together in monogamous pairs, and defend their family territory against intruders with long, loud singing. Their diet consists primarily of fruits. Little is known about the reproductive patterns of this species, but it is thought to be similar to that of other gibbon species.

References

External links

Image of Grey gibbonGibbon Conservation Center
at ''Animal Diversity Web'' {{Taxonbar, from=Q845938 Mueller's gibbon Primates of Indonesia Endemic fauna of Borneo Mammals of Borneo Mammals of Indonesia Endangered fauna of Asia Species endangered by the pet trade Mueller's gibbon Mueller's gibbon