Table of Contents
Overview
Brief Summary
Biology
© Wildscreen
Source:
ARKive
Trusted
Comprehensive Description
Description
© Wildscreen
Source:
ARKive
Trusted
Distribution
Range Description
© International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
Source:
IUCN
Trusted
Geographic Range
Lion-tailed macaques (Macaca silenus) are found only in India in the Western Ghats mountains.
Biogeographic Regions: oriental (Native )
- BBC, 2005. "Lion-tailed Macaque, wanderoo" (On-line). Accessed May 31, 2005 at http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/220.shtml.
© The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
Source:
Animal Diversity Web
Trusted
India
Trusted
Range
© Wildscreen
Source:
ARKive
Trusted
Physical Description
Morphology
Physical Description
Lion-tailed macaques are 40 to 61 cm in length, with the tail adding an additional 24 to 38 cm. Males typically weigh between 5 and 10 kg, but the smaller females weigh only 3 to 6 kg.
The body is covered with black fur. The tail is long, thin, and naked, with a tuft of black puffy hair at the tip. Both males and females have a grayish lion-like mane of fur that surrounds the face. The face itself is bare and black.
Macaca silenus has two incisors, one canine, three premolars, and two molars in each quadrant of the mouth (Lawlor, 1979). Lion-tailed macaques have cheek pouches that open beside the lower teeth and extend down the side of the neck.
Offspring are born with soft, black pelage that is replaced with adult pelage after two months of age (Burton, 1995).
Range mass: 3 to 10 kg.
Range length: 40 to 61 cm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: male larger
- Lawlor, T. 1979. Encyclopedia of Mammals. New York: McGraw-Publishing Company.
© The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
Source:
Animal Diversity Web
Trusted
Ecology
Habitat
Habitat and Ecology
The species seems largely to be a seasonal breeder, with births temporally clumped along with the fruiting season dictated by monsoonal climate (Singh et al. 2006). In the wild females first give birth at about 80 months, and have an inter-birth period of about 34.3 months. The generation length is approximately 13 years.
Systems
- Terrestrial
© International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
Source:
IUCN
Trusted
Habitat
Macaca silenus lives in evergreen and semi-evergreen rainforests and monsoon forests. They typically are associated with broadleaf trees, and can be found at elevations as great as 1,500 m.
Range elevation: 1,500 (high) m.
Habitat Regions: tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: rainforest ; mountains
© The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
Source:
Animal Diversity Web
Trusted
Trophic Strategy
Food Habits
Lion-tailed macaques are omnivorous but their diet consists mainly of fruit. They also eat a wide variety of vegetation such as leaves, stems, flowers, buds, and fungi. They occasionally eat meat from insects, lizards, tree frogs, and small mammals. These macaques obtain some of their water by licking dew from leaves. Lion-tailed macaques prefer to forage quickly for fear of predators. Their cheeck pouches enable them to quickly gather large amounts of food in times of danger. "When fully extended, their cheek pouches can store an equilivant to their stomach's capacity" (Burton, 1995). Macaca silenus feed from dawn till dusk, generally, on foods that are closest to their sleeping ground (Nowak, 1999).
Animal Foods: mammals; amphibians; reptiles; insects
Plant Foods: leaves; wood, bark, or stems; fruit; flowers
Other Foods: fungus
Primary Diet: omnivore
© The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
Source:
Animal Diversity Web
Trusted
Associations
Ecosystem Roles
Because of their frugivory and their ability to carry fruits in their large cheek pouches, it is likely that these monkeys play some role in seed dispersal. To the extent that they prey upon other animals, they may have some impact on prey populations. As prey animals themselves, lion-tailed macaques may have a positive impact on populations of their predators.
Ecosystem Impact: disperses seeds
© The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
Source:
Animal Diversity Web
Trusted
Predation
It is likely that these animals fall prey to snakes, raptors, and larger carnivores.
© The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
Source:
Animal Diversity Web
Trusted
Life History and Behavior
Behavior
Communication and Perception
Macaques have extensive patterns of communication, typical of diurnal primates. They rely heavily on vocal communication. "Lion-tailed macaques have 17 different vocal patterns and many types of body movements used to express communication" (Burton, 1995). In addition, visual communication (through body postures and facial expression), and tactile communication (in the form of grooming, play, mounting, and aggression) occur in macaques. It is likely that some chemical communication occurs, especially as pertains to advertizement of oestrus (Nowak, 1999).
Communication Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Perception Channels: visual ; acoustic
© The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
Source:
Animal Diversity Web
Trusted
Life Expectancy
Lifespan/Longevity
Macaca silenus has a maximum lifespan of 38 years in captivity, although it is more typical for them to reach about 30 years of age. In the wild, the expected maximum lifespan is about 20 years.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 20 years.
Range lifespan
Status: captivity: 38 (high) years.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 30 years.
Average lifespan
Sex: female
Status: captivity: 40.0 years.
Average lifespan
Sex: male
Status: captivity: 38.0 years.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 30.0 years.
© The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
Source:
Animal Diversity Web
Trusted
Lifespan, longevity, and ageing
© Joao Pedro de Magalhaes
Source:
AnAge
Trusted
Reproduction
Reproduction
This species is polygynous. Groups of M. silenus typically contain one male and several females and juveniles.
Mating System: polygynous
In lion-tailed macaques, females become sexually mature at 5 years of age, and males mature at 8 (Nowak, 1999). Macaca silenus has no specific breeding season. When a female is in estrus, swelling occurs in the area under her tail (perineal oestrus swelling) and she emits a courtship call to let males know she is ready to copulate (Nowak, 1999). Courtship generally consists of the male examining the female's genitals and then isolation of the couple from the troop in order to copulate without interruption. Once they have copulated, the two do not stay together.
After gestation period of approximately 6 months, females typically give birth to one offspring (Burton, 1995). Although breeding occurs throughout the year, most births coincide with the peak of the wet season when resources are abundant. Newborn macaques weigh betweem 400 and 500 g (Nowak, 1999). Females tend to carry the offspring on their abdomens. Males and females reach maturity at different ages, with males maturing later, at 8 years of age. Females can produce their first offspring around the age of 5 years (Nowak, 1999).
In most macaques, females can reproduce once per year if conditions are good. Young are weaned before they reach one year of age.
Breeding interval: Females can probably reproduce about once per year if conditions are favorable.
Breeding season: Macaca silenus has no specific breeding season.
Average number of offspring: 1.
Average gestation period: 180 days.
Average time to independence: 4 years.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 5 years.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 8 years.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; year-round breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); fertilization ; viviparous
Average birth mass: 407 g.
Average gestation period: 176 days.
Average number of offspring: 1.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
Sex: male: 2511 days.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
Sex: female: 1429 days.
Females nurse and care for their young for extended periods while the young learn and grow. When offspring reach adolescence, females generally stay in the social group of their birth, but males leave, and live in nomadic all-male groups until they are able to defend a harem of their own. Males may establish a new family group or steal one from an old or injured male of another group.
Parental Investment: altricial ; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-independence (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); post-independence association with parents; extended period of juvenile learning; inherits maternal/paternal territory
- Lawlor, T. 1979. Encyclopedia of Mammals. New York: McGraw-Publishing Company.
© The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
Source:
Animal Diversity Web
Trusted
Conservation
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List Assessment
Red List Category
Red List Criteria
Version
Year Assessed
Assessor/s
Reviewer/s
Justification
History
- 2004Endangered
- 2000Endangered
- 1996Endangered(Baillie and Groombridge 1996)
- 1994Vulnerable(Groombridge 1994)
- 1990Endangered(IUCN 1990)
- 1988Endangered(IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1988)
- 1986Endangered(IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1986)
© International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
Source:
IUCN
Trusted
Conservation Status
Lion-tailed macaques are affected by habitat loss due to the harvesting of firewood, timber, and other forest products for human use (Burton, 1995). They are also subject to inbreeding, resulting from having low numbers in the wild and different troops being separated in small forest fragments.
In the 1980s, efforts were made to increase the population. Macaca silenus was put on the Species Survival Plan. Because lion-tailed macaques breed well in captivity, there are now 500 lion-tailed macaques in zoos worldwide and the population can be increased dramatically (Burton, 1995).
US Federal List: endangered; no special status
CITES: appendix i
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: endangered
© The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
Source:
Animal Diversity Web
Trusted
Status: Endangered
Date Listed: 06/02/1970
Lead Region: Foreign (Region 10)
Where Listed:
Population detail:
Population location: entire
Listing status: E
For most current information and documents related to the conservation status and management of Macaca silenus , see its USFWS Species Profile
Trusted
Status
© Wildscreen
Source:
ARKive
Trusted
Trends
Population
Population Trend
© International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
Source:
IUCN
Trusted
Threats
Threats
© International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
Source:
IUCN
Trusted
Threats
© Wildscreen
Source:
ARKive
Trusted
Management
Conservation Actions
Areas where lion-tailed macaques occur consist of protected areas, nominally-protected areas, and unprotected areas. In Karnataka the list of protected areas includes the Brahmagiri Sanctuary, Kudremukh National Park, Mookambika Sanctuary, Pushpagiri Sanctuary, Sharavathi Valley Sanctuary, Someshwara Sanctuary, and Talakaveri Sanctuary. In Kerala the protected areas include the Aralam Sanctuary, Chimmony Sanctuary, Neyyar Sanctuary, Peppara Sanctuary, Parambikulam Sanctuary, Periyar National Park, Periyar Sanctuary, Shendurney Sanctuary, and Silent Valley National Park, and in Tamil Nadu protected areas include Indira Gandhi Sanctuary, Kalakkad Sanctuary, Mundanthurai Sanctuary, and Grizzled Giant Squirrel Sanctuary (Molur et al. 2003). There is a proposed Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu (Megamalai), in which the species occurs.
This species is listed on Appendix I of CITES, and Schedule I, Part I, of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 amended up to 2002 (Molur et al. 2003). The following are recommended research actions (Molur et al. 2003): genetic research, life history, epidemiology, and limiting factor research. Management actions recommended (Molur et al. 2003) are: limiting factor management, wild population management and monitoring, public education, captive breeding, and captive management (research and preservation of live genome).
© International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
Source:
IUCN
Trusted
Conservation
© Wildscreen
Source:
ARKive
Trusted
Relevance to Humans and Ecosystems
Benefits
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
Lion-tailed macaques may raid agricultural fields and orchards and are sometimes shot as pests (Burton, 1995).
Negative Impacts: crop pest
© The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
Source:
Animal Diversity Web
Trusted
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Macaca silenus is hunted for its skin and meat. These animals are also used in the pet trade and for medical research (Burton, 1995).
Positive Impacts: pet trade ; food ; body parts are source of valuable material; research and education
© The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
Source:
Animal Diversity Web
Trusted
Wikipedia
Lion-tailed macaque
The lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus), or the wanderoo is an Old World monkey that is endemic to the Western Ghats of South India.
Contents |
Physical Characteristics
The hair of the lion-tailed macque is black. Its outstanding characteristic is the silver-white mane which surrounds the head from the cheeks down to its chin, which gives this monkey its German name of "Beard Ape". The hairless face is black colored. With a head-body length of 42 to 61 cm and a weight of 2 to 10 kg, it ranks among the smaller macaques. The tail is medium length with a length of approximately 25 cm and is a black tuft at the end, similar to a lion's tail. The male's tail-tuft is more developed than that of the female.
Gestation is approximately six months. The young are nursed for one year. Sexual maturity is reached at four years for females, six years for males. The life expectancy in the wild is approximately 20 years, while in captivity up to 30 years.[3]
Behavior
The lion-tailed macaque is a diurnal rain forest dweller. It is a good climber and spends a majority of its life in the upper canopy of tropical moist evergreen forests. Unlike other macaques, it avoids humans. In group behavior, it is much like other macaques: it lives in hierarchical groups of usually ten to twenty animals, which consist of few males and many females. It is a territorial animal, defending its area first with loud cries towards the invading troops. If this proves fruitless, it brawls aggressively.
Lion-tailed macaque behaviour is characterized by typical patterns such as arboreal living, selectively feeding on a large variety of fruit trees, large inter-individual spaces while foraging, and time budgets with high proportion of time devoted to exploration and feeding.[4] The lion-tailed macaque primarily eat indigenous fruits, leaves, buds, insects and small vertebrates in virgin forest but can adapt to rapid environmental change in areas of massive selective logging through behavioural modifications and broadening of food choices to include fruits, seeds, shoots, pith, flower, cone, mesocarp, and other parts of many non-indigenous and pioneer plants.[4]
Population
A recent assessment for IUCN reports 3000-3500 of these animals live scattered over several areas in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.[5] The lion-tailed macaque ranks among the rarest and most threatened primates. Their range has become increasingly isolated and fragmented by the spread of agriculture and tea, coffee, teak and cinchona, construction of water reservoirs for irrigation and power generation, and human settlements to support such activities. They don't live, feed or travel through plantations. Destruction of their habitat and the fact that they avoid human proximity, has led to the drastic decrease of their population.
During 1977 to 1980, public concern about the endangerment of lion-tailed macaque became the focal point of Save Silent Valley, India's fiercest environmental debate of the decade. During 1993 to 1996, fourteen troops of lion-tailed macaques were observed in Silent Valley National Park, Kerala, one of the most undisturbed viable habitats left for the lion-tailed macaque.[6]
A self-sustainable single population of 32 groups of lion-tailed macaques occurred in Sirsi-Honnavara, Karnataka, the northernmost population of the species.[7] A local census concluded in 2007, conducted in the Theni District of Tamil Nadu, put their numbers at around 250, which was considered encouraging, because till then, there had not been any records of lion-tailed macaques in that specific area.[8] Many zoos take part in breeding programs which help to secure the survival of this species. 338 of these macaques are reported to live in zoos.[3]
References
- ^ Groves, C. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. eds. Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 164. OCLC 62265494. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/browse.asp?id=12100561.
- ^ Kumar, A., Singh, M. & Molur, S. (2008). Macaca silenus. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 4 January 2009.
- ^ a b Lion-tailed Macaque "Article - World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), Virtual Zoo". http://www.waza.org/virtualzoo/factsheet.php?id=106-008-003-010&view=Monkeys&main=virtualzoo Lion-tailed Macaque.
- ^ a b Singh Mewa and Kaumanns Werner (2005-10-10). "Behavioural studies: A necessity for wildlife management". Current Science 89 (7): 1233. http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/oct102005/1230.pdf.
- ^ Molur S, D Brandon-Jones, W Dittus, A. Eudey, A. Kumar, M. Singh, M.M. Feeroz, M. Chalise, P. Priya & S. Walker (2003). Status of South Asian Primates: Conservation Assessment and Management Plan (C.A.M.P.) Workshop Report, 2003. Zoo Outreach Organization/CBSG-South Asia, Coimbatore
- ^ Ramachandran, K. K.; Joseph, Gigi, K. (2001). "Distribution and demography of diurnal primates in Silent Valley National Park and adjacent areas, Kerala, India". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 98 (2): 191–196. http://eurekamag.com/research/010/482/distribution-demography-diurnal-primates-silent-valley-national-park-adjacent-areas-kerala-india.php#.Ty5aduUeDiF.
- ^ Singh Mewa and Kaumanns Werner (October 2004). "Distribution and Abundance of Primates in Rain Forests of the Western Ghats, Karnataka, India and the Conservation of Macaca silenus". International Journal of Primatology 25 (5): abstract. doi:10.1023/B:IJOP.0000043348.06255.7f. http://www.springerlink.com/content/u764n60121272h4m/.
- ^ "Article-"Nilgiri Tahr, lion-tailed macaque sighted in Theni district"". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 9 May 2007. http://www.hindu.com/2007/05/09/stories/2007050903360200.htm.
Source:
Wikipedia
Unreviewed
Disclaimer
EOL content is automatically assembled from many different content providers. As a result, from time to time you may find pages on EOL that are confusing.
To request an improvement, please leave a comment on the page. Thank you!
