Lion-Tailed Macaque

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