Red-shanked Douc: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Great Apes and Leaf Monkeys · day 4 of 7

Five facts

1. Nicknamed the queen of primates, it has a silver cap, a black forehead, white cheeks and whiskers, and bright red lower legs.
2. When adults play, they blink their eyes open and shut to flash their light blue eyelids at each other.
3. A true acrobat of the treetops, it often leaps as far as 6 m, arms stretched above its head, and lands on its two feet.
4. Doucs eat together calmly and even snap off bits of leaves to hand to each other, a kind of kindness rare in Old World monkeys.
5. Babies are born with their eyes open and a bluish face. Their body darkens and face lightens until they get adult colours at 10 months.

The quiz

1. What nickname does the red-shanked douc have?

• King of the jungle
• Ghost of the forest
• Queen of primates (correct)
• Prince of the river

Its striking colours earned it the name queen of primates.

2. What do adults show off by blinking during play?

• Their white teeth
• Their light blue eyelids (correct)
• Their red tongue
• Their orange collar

They blink their eyes open and shut to show their light blue eyelids.

3. How far does the douc often leap between trees?

• Up to 6 m (correct)
• Up to 50 cm
• Up to 40 m
• It never leaps

It frequently leaps up to 6 m, arms stretched overhead.

4. What do doucs do that is rare among Old World monkeys?

• Fight over every meal
• Hide food from each other
• Eat only at night
• Hand pieces of food to each other (correct)

They break off bits of foliage and hand them to each other.

5. What colour is a newborn douc's face?

• Bright red
• Bluish (correct)
• Pure white
• Green

Babies have a bluish face that lightens as they grow.

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