Lion-tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus) lives in tropical rainforest across Southwest India. It feeds on fruits and insects. Its conservation status is Endangered.
Fascinating facts about the Lion-tailed Macaque
- It lives only in the Western Ghats of South India, and its natural range is restricted to those evergreen forests. The species is a rainforest dweller that prefers the upper canopy of tropical moist evergreen and monsoon forests, spending its daylight hours foraging and resting. Although it tends to avoid humans more than other macaques, ongoing habitat loss has forced it to become more habituated and occasionally come into conflict with people.
- Its tail measures about 25 cm and ends in a black, lion-like tuft. This long, naked tail is thin and conspicuous, giving the monkey its common name. The tuft at the tip resembles a lion's mane, reinforcing the visual link that inspired the name. The tail's length and flexibility aid the animal's arboreal lifestyle, allowing it to balance while moving through the forest canopy.
- When territorial disputes turn violent, the macaques fight with their large canines, inflicting deep lacerations. They first issue loud cries and bare their teeth to warn intruders, and if these vocal warnings fail they engage in aggressive brawls. The large canines can cause severe injuries during these fights, underscoring the seriousness of their territorial defence.
- Lion-tailed macaques are vital seed dispersers in the Western Ghats. While foraging on indigenous fruits, seeds pass through their cheek pouches and digestive tract and are later dropped or excreted many metres from the parent tree, allowing plants to colonise new gaps.
- Only about 3,000-3,500 lion-tailed macaques remain in the wild, scattered across fragmented forest patches in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. These isolated pockets result from extensive timber harvesting, tea and coffee plantations and other land-use changes that have broken up their historic range. Because groups are small, each troop typically contains 10-20 individuals, making the overall population highly vulnerable.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeSouthwest India
HabitatTropical rainforest
DietFruits and insects
About the Lion-tailed Macaque
In the lush canopies of India's western ghats, the lion-tailed macaque reigns as a mysterious and elusive monarch, its shaggy silhouette weaving through the dense foliage with an air of quiet confidence. With eyes that gleam like polished onyx, this endangered primate navigates its dwindling domain with a nimble grace, its agile form darting between the trees with a fluidity that belies its robust build. As it moves, the macaque's luxuriant mane ripples in the dappled light, a fiery halo that sets this majestic creature apart as a true marvel of the tropical forest.
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