Table of Contents
Where are Nilgiri langur found?
Found in the Nilgiri Hills of the Western Ghats in South India. Its range also includes Kodagu in Karnataka, Kodayar Hills in Tamil Nadu, and many other hilly areas in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is also found in Silent Valley National Park of Kerala.
What are langurs called in English?
the leaf monkey
The word “langur” means ‘having a long tail’. It is commonly called the leaf monkey. They usually live in small groups of between 2 and 10 individuals. They mainly eat leaves, as well as some fruit.
Are langurs New World monkeys?
Langurs are monkeys belonging to the subfamily Colobinae. They are “Old World” monkeys with an extremely large family of primates with 159 species and 23 genera presently recognized in Asia.
Are monkeys scared of langurs?
“In the beginning, the monkeys were afraid of langurs, but not anymore. Short tail or long tail, they are all friends now,” exclaims MCK Commissioner K Satyanarayana.
Is Nilgiri langur extinct?
Nilgiri langur is a threatened species because of declining trend in their population size. It is placed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List as ‘Vulnerable’.
How many Nilgiri langur are left in India?
The present population of the Nilgiri langur in the wild is estimated to be around 15,000 only, and about 30 are believed to be in captivity in zoos across the country.
What is the Speciality of langur?
Langurs are also known as “leaf-eating monkeys” because they feed mostly on the leaves. Other than leaves, they also eat fruit, shoots, roots, seeds, flowers, grass. Since langur diet consists of plants only, their intestines are home to different types of bacteria that help in digestion of plant material.
Are langurs aggressive?
Because of their sacred status and their less aggressive behavior compared to other primates, langurs are generally not considered pests in many parts of India.
Why is Nilgiri langur endangered?
Threats and Conservation The Nilgiri Langurs are hunted for their skin to use for drums, and other parts of their bodies are used for traditional ‘medicine’, which has led them to be classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as there may be only 5,000 left in the wild.
Can langurs be pet?
The grey langur has been a protected species in India since 1972, which means it cannot be kept in captivity. Anyone convicted of doing so faces a fine and a three-year jail term, under the Indian Penal Code.
Was Hanuman a langur monkey?
The graceful langurs include the hanuman, or sacred monkey, also of southern Asia.