| Macaque, Lion-tailed | |||
| Family | Cercopithecidae | ||
| Genus | Macaca | ||
| Species | silenus | ||
| Status | Endangered | ||
| Habitat | Dense primary tropical forests | ||
| Distribution | Southwestern India | ||
| Length | 20-24 inches (46-61 cm) | ||
| Weight | Males 20-25 pounds (9-11 kg); Females 15-18 pounds (7-8 kg) | ||
| Behavior | Although they spend most of their time in trees, lion-tailed macaques come down to the ground to play or splash in water. Lion-tailed macaques are territorial; when leaders from two different troops give a loud whooping call (which is said to sound like a human voice), one of the groups moves away. | ||
| Diet | Macaques feed on fruit, leaves, bark, roots, insects, eggs, nestlings, tree frogs and lizards. They will eat almost anything digestible as long as it is not poisonous. | ||
| Communication | Macaques use 17 different vocal patterns to communicate. They also communicate with body language, such as yawning with a grimace to indicate dominance or a threat, and smacking their lips to greet one another. | ||
| Feeding | Lion-tailed macaques are reluctant to travel through open gaps in the forest for fear of predators. When gathering food, however, they are required to leave the safety of their home in the treetops and forage through all levels of the forest. Lion-tailed macaques and other members of the macaque and baboon family have developed an ingenious way to limit the amount of time needed to gather food. The monkeys have cheek pouches that open beside the lower teeth and extend down the side of the neck. When fully extended, these pouches can store an equivalent to their stomach’s capacity. They gather food quickly with their hands and promptly stuff it in their pouches. When their pouches are full, they retreat to the safety of the forest’s upper canopy and eat. Being able to gather and store large quantities of food per outing limits the amount of time that macaques are exposed to predators. | ||
| Breeding | Infants have soft, black natal coats that are replaced with adult textured coats after about two months. Macaques live in troops comprising of 10-20 members, ruled by a dominant male. Females usually remain in the same troop with their mothers. Male macaques, however, tend to leave their natal group at adolescence to live in all-male groups or in small female groups for varying periods of time. Throughout the day, lion-tails forage in trees. At night, they sleep high in the forest canopy, hiding among the branches. | ||
| Sexual Maturity | 5 years for females, 8 years for males | ||
| Gestation | 165 days | ||
| No. of Young | 1 | ||
| Conservation |
Lion-tailed macaques are a highly endangered species. Once abundant throughout India’s mature evergreen forests, there may be fewer that 2,000 of these monkeys left in the wild. Overpopulation, habitat destruction, fragmentation and other human activities have forced these animals to live in small, isolated pockets of forest separated by cultivation and open areas. As a result, inbreeding is occurring, which limits the gene pool and creates weaker populations with smaller numbers. Lion-tailed macaques are sometimes hunted for their meat and, occasionally, as a source of medicine. Native people believe that some of these fragmented forest areas are sacred groves, referred to as sholas. It is believed that sholas are each guarded by a different god, so native people protect sholas from any disturbance. The sacred status of sholas is helping to protect and preserve forests and animals that might otherwise be destroyed. | ||
| Interesting Facts | The lion-tailed macaque’s tail may be one-third to one-half the length of its body! Because they live in trees, macaques fulfill their need for water by licking moisture that collects on leaves! | ||
| Images and Video Clips | |||
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| Animal Communication Panel | |||
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