Dusky Leaf Monkey

Fascinating facts about the Dusky Leaf Monkey

• In a massive 2016 survey of 12,480 monkeys over eight months, dusky leaf monkeys spent 40% of their day positioning, 33% feeding and 20% moving, a daily rhythm that mirrors a high-energy, arboreal lifestyle. By contrast, a study of just 18 individuals recorded 40% eating, 24% resting and 22.5% moving.
• Dusky leaf monkeys have been spotted swimming across water to Singapore: three individuals were found in August 2019 near the Malaysia-Singapore border, and in January 2020 a pair that likely swam from Johor chased away eleven Raffles' banded langurs. Their ability to cross water expands their range but also raises concerns about competition for food and disease transmission to native species.
• The IUCN listed the dusky leaf monkey as endangered in 2015, citing habitat loss, poaching and other human land-use as the main drivers of decline. Road construction adds a lethal edge, with increased road-kill rates, while domestic dogs also hunt them. These pressures shrink the already fragmented forest patches they need, pushing the species closer to the brink.
• Male dusky leaf monkeys tip the scales at about 7.4 kg, while females average 6.5 kg, a clear 12% size gap that marks the species as sexually dimorphic.
• When fights break out, dusky leaf monkeys settle scores faster than most primates, reconciliation can happen in as little as 60 seconds. This rapid peace-making, whether initiated by the aggressor or the recipient.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Dusky Leaf Monkey

In the lush canopies of Southeast Asia's tropical forests, the dusky leaf monkey moves with effortless agility, its slender limbs weaving a mesmerizing dance through the dappled shadows. With eyes like dark, polished onyx, this endangered primate surveys its kingdom, a realm of emerald foliage and whispering leaves, where it navigates the intricate social hierarchies of its troop with a quiet intelligence. As it glides through the trees, the dusky leaf monkey's soft, smoky fur blends seamlessly with the surroundings, rendering it all but invisible, a fleeting glimpse of a vanishing world.

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