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Research shows a threatening development for two endangered primate species in Bangladesh: Phayre's langurs (Trachypithecus phayrei) and capped langurs (Trachypithecus pileatus). In mixed groups of these two species, hybrids have been found and genetically confirmed. If hybridization continues, it could mean the extinction of one or both species.

The paper is published in the International Journal of Primatology.

Over five years (2018–2023), an international team of researchers led by Tanvir Ahmed, a Ph.D. student at the German Primate Center, studied the langur populations in north-eastern Bangladesh. They found that 8 of the 98 langur studied groups consisted of Phayre's and capped langurs, and in three groups, some individuals appeared as a mixture of the two species.

Later, researchers analyzed genetic samples of the species in the lab of the German Primate Center, and confirmed one case of hybridization. This langur had a capped langur mother and a Phayre's langur father. Another female with a hybrid appearance showed signs of motherhood, indicating that at least female hybrids are fertile and give birth to young.

Hybridization is generally rare among primates but occurs in areas where the distribution ranges of related species overlap. Human activities such as deforestation, habitat fragmentation, hunting and trapping of primates, leading to a thinning of populations and restricting the movements of individuals between local populations, can increase the risk of such hybridization.

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