Gee's Golden Lutung (Trachypithecus geei) lives in tropical rainforest across Northeast India. It feeds on leaves and fruits. Its conservation status is Endangered.
Fascinating facts about the Gee's Golden Lutung
- The golden langur's tail can reach a full metre, measuring up to 100 cm. This exceptionally long tail acts as a living counter-balance, stabilising the animal as it darts between the high canopy branches where it spends most of its time. By using the tail as a lever, the langur can make swift leaps across gaps without losing grip, a key adaptation for an arboreal lifestyle.
- Surveys show the Indian population of golden langurs rose from about 6,000 individuals in 2008-09 to 7,396 by the 2020-21 census. The species remains classified as one of the most endangered primates in India and Bhutan, with mature adult numbers estimated between 6,000 and 6,500.
- The golden langur occupies roughly 30,000 km² along the Assam-Bhutan frontier, but much of this expanse is unsuitable forest. Its range is hemmed in by the Brahmaputra to the south, the Manas River to the east, the Sankosh River to the west and the Black Mountains to the north, creating natural barriers that limit movement.
- Its eyes display a light sclera, a feature seen in some great apes. This gives the golden langur a strikingly human-like gaze that has captured public imagination.
- In Bhutan the golden langur has interbred with the capped langur. Scientists link this hybridisation to permanent bridges built over the Chamkar River, which now let the two species cross previously impassable water.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeNortheast India
HabitatTropical rainforest
DietLeaves and fruits
About the Gee's Golden Lutung
In the lush, emerald canopies of the Indian subcontinent, the Gee's Golden Langur, a creature of unbridled elegance, navigates its arboreal realm with effortless poise, its golden fur glistening like sunlight on ripened wheat as it leaps with fluid precision from branch to branch. With each deliberate movement, this endangered primate weaves a delicate dance, its very existence a testament to the beauty and fragility of life in the wild. As it disappears into the dappled shadows, its haunting gaze lingers, a poignant reminder of the preciousness of this rare and wondrous species.
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