Lion-tailed Macaque

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iLion-tailed Macaque

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Family:	Cercopithecidae
Genus:	Macaca
Species:	M. silenus

Binomial name

Macaca silenus
(Linnaeus, 1758)

The Lion-tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus) is an Old World monkey that lives only in southwest India.

The skin of the Lion-tailed Macaque is dark-brown or black, and its most outstanding characteristic is the silver-white mane which surrounds the head from the cheeks down to its chin, which gives this monkey its German name of "Beard Ape". The hairless face is black colored. With a head-to-tail length of 45 to 60 cm and a weight of 3 to 10 kg it ranks among the smaller macaques. The tail is medium length with a length of approximately 25 cm and is a black tuft at the end, similar to a lion's tail.

The Lion-tailed Macaque is a diurnal rain forest dweller. It is a good climber and spends a majority of its life in the trees. Unlike other macaques, it avoids humans. In group behavior, it is much like other macaques: it lives in hierarchical groups of usually ten to twenty animals, which consist of some males and many females. It is a territorial animal, defending its area first with loud cries towards the invading troops. If this proves fruitless, it brawls aggressively.

The Lion-tailed Macaque primarily eats fruits, but also eats leaves, buds, insects and small vertebrates.

Gestation is approximately six months. The young are nursed for one year. Sexual maturity is reached at four years for females, six years for males. The life expectancy in the wild is approximately 20 years, while in captivity up to 30 years.

The Lion-tailed Macaque ranks among the rarest and most threatened primates. According to estimations of the IUCN, only approximately 2,500 of these animals lives scattered over several areas in southwest India. The destruction of their habitat and the fact that they avoid human proximity, has led to the drastic decrease of their population. Many zoos take part in breeding programs which help to secure the survival of this species.

[edit] References

Participants of CBSG CAMP workshop: Status of South Asian Primates (March 2002) (2004). Macaca silenus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 09 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is endangered
Groves, Colin (16 November 2005). Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 164. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.