Nilgiri Langur

Fascinating facts about the Nilgiri Langur

• The Nilgiri langur sports a sleek, jet-black coat that shines in the dappled forest light, while a striking orangey-golden brown, hair-like mane crowns its head, giving it a distinctive silhouette. Females can be identified by a conspicuous white patch of fur on the inner thigh, a subtle sexual dimorphism.
• Nilgiri langurs typically travel in troops of nine to ten individuals, a size that provides both social interaction and protection against predators. The composition of these groups shifts with the seasons, sometimes including dependent offspring and at other times consisting solely of adults.
• The Nilgiri langur is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, signalling that its populations are at risk of further decline. It faces ongoing habitat destruction across its Nilgiri Hills range, which reduces the forest areas it depends on for food and shelter. In addition, illegal hunting targets its body parts, which some people mistakenly believe have aphrodisiac properties, adding another pressure on the species.

Sources

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

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Nilgiri Langur

In the mist-shrouded forests of the Western Ghats, the Nilgiri Langur moves with a silent, languid elegance, its dark coat glistening like the shadows that dance across the forest floor. As it navigates the treetop canopy, its long arms and tail working in tandem, the langur embodies a fluid, aerial grace, its very presence seeming to weave the trees and sky together into a seamless whole. With eyes that shine like dark jewels, this vanishingly rare primate surveys its kingdom, a hauntingly beautiful creature on the cusp of disappearance.

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