Lion-Tailed Macaque

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About Lion-tailed Macaque

It is an Old World monkey.
It is an arboreal and diurnal creature, they sleep at night in trees (typically, high in the canopy of rainforest).
These macaques are territorial and very communicative animals. One of the distinguishing features of this species is that males define the boundaries of their home ranges by calls.
Overall, their communication system contains as many as 17 vocalisations.
Diet: It is omnivorous and feed upon a wide variety of food, although fruits form the major part of their diet.
Appearance
- The magnificent Lion-tailed macaque is named due to its lion-like, long, thin, and tufted tail. Also they are characterised by the grey mane around their face.
- In the meantime, this animal is one of the smallest macaque species in the world.
Distribution: It is endemic to evergreen rainforests of the southern part in Western Ghats, with its range passing through the three states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Conservation Status
- IUCN: Critically Endangered
- CITES: Appendix I
- The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
Threats: Its population faces threats from habitat loss, fragmentation, and human encroachment.

Q1: Where is Western Ghats located?

It is a mountain range (in a stretch of 1,600 Km) parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the 36 biodiversity hotspots in the world.

Source: TH