Adventure & Wildlife Magazine - Vol 1|Issue 5-6| Nov 16 - Jan 17 Vol 1|Issue 5-6| Nov 16 - Jan 17 | Página 85

ADVENTURE & WILDLIFE
Physical characteristics
Scientific name: Macaca silenus
The hair of the lion-tailed macaque is black. Its
Length: 42 – 61 cm (Adult, Head and body)
outstanding characteristic is the silver-white mane
Mass: 2 – 10 kg (Adult)
which surrounds the head from the cheeks down to
Lifespan: 20 years (In the wild)
its chin, which gives this monkey its German name
Higher classification: Macaque
Bartaffe - “beard ape”. The hairless face is black in
Gestation period: 183 days
colour. 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 in length, about 25 cm,
and most threatened primates. Their range has become
and has a black tuft at the end, similar to a lion’s tail. The
increasingly isolated and fragmented by the spread of
male’s tail-tuft is more developed than that of the female.
agriculture and tea, coffee, teak and cinchona,
construction of water reservoirs for irrigation and
Gestation is approximately six months. The young
power generation, and human settlements to support
are nursed for one year. Sexual maturity is reached at
such activities. They do not live, feed or travel through
four years for females, and six years for males. The life
plantations. Destruction of their habitat and their
expectancy in the wild is approximately 20 years, while in
avoidance of human proximity have led to the drastic
captivity is up to 30 years.
decrease of their population.
Behaviour
From 1977 to 1980, public concern about the
endangered status of lion-tailed macaque became the
The lion-tailed macaque is a diurnal rainforest
focal point of Save Silent Valley, India’s fiercest
dweller. It is a good climber and spends a majority of
environmental debate of the decade. From 1993 to 1996,
its life in the upper canopy of tropical moist evergreen
14 troops were observed in Silent Valley National Park,
forests. Unlike other macaques, it avoids humans. In group
Kerala, one of the most undisturbed viable habitats left
behavior, it is much like other macaques; it lives in
for them.
hierarchical groups of usually 10 to 20 animals, which
consist of few males and many females. It is a territorial
A self-sustainable single population of 32 groups of
animal, defending its area first with loud cries towards
lion-tailed macaques occurred in Sirsi-Honnavara,
the invading troops. If this proves to be fruitless, it brawls
Karnataka, the northernmost population of the
aggressively.
species. A local census concluded in 2007,
conducted in the Theni District of Tamil Nadu,
Lion-tailed macaque behaviour is characterized by
put their numbers at around 250, which was considered
typical patterns such as arboreal living, selectively
encouraging, because till then, no lion-tailed macaques
feeding on a large variety of fruit trees, large inter
had been reported in that specific area. The species is
individual spaces while foraging, and time budgets with
also prominently found in the Papanasam part of the
high proportion of time devoted to exploration and
Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve of Tirunelveli
feeding. It primarily eats indigenous fruits, leaves,
district of Tamil Nadu. Many zoos take part in
buds, insects and small vertebrates in virgin forest, but
breeding programs which help to secure the survival of
can adapt to rapid environmental change in areas of
this species. About 338 of these macaques are reported to
massive selective logging through behavioural
live in zoos. However, it is no longer on ‘The World’s 25
modifications and broadening of food choices to
Most Endangered Primates’ list, after the international
include fruits, seeds, shoots, pith, flowers, cones,
body compiling it determined that the local governments
mesocarp, and other parts of many non indigenous
in southern India had acted positively to protect it.
and pioneer plants.In the forests of Kerala they were
observed preying on nestling and eggs of pigeons.
Satish Bojan & Dr.Simha Shastry
Population
A recent assessment for IUCN reports 3000-3500
of these animals live scattered over several areas in
Kerala.The lion-tailed macaque ranks among the rarest
Vol 1|Issue 5-6|Nov 16 - Jan 17
Satish is a an avid photographer and a wildlife
enthusiast.
Dr. Simha has a doctorate in wildlife conservation
and is the Editor/Publisher of Adventure & Wildlife
Magazine.
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