Lion-tailed Macaque

Lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) also known as Wanderloo is one of the smallest and most endangered of the macaque species.  Lion-tailed Macaque is the only Indian macaque with a black coloured coat.

Distribution

Lion Tailed Macaque is endemic to Western Ghats and is found only in evergreen broadleaf monsoon forest in Western Ghats states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Behaviour

These macaques spend the majority of their time in the trees, huddling together to sleep at night high up in the forest canopy. The mainstay of the lion-tailed macaque diet is fruit, although they will also forage for seeds, young leaves, flowers, buds and even fungi.

Threats

The lion-tailed macaque ranks among the rarest and most threatened primates, listed as endangered in IUCN red list. The main threat is the destruction of their forest home. Only 1% of the original habitat remains today due to widespread deforestation for timber, cultivation of tea, coffee, teak and cinchona, construction of water reservoirs for irrigation and power generation, and human settlements to support such activities.

Another reason that becomes threat to them is the slow reproduction cycle of Lion-tailed Macaques. A female macaque gives birth only once in three years. Further not all but only dominant females give birth. The low birth rate and high age at first birth, gives little chance for their population to bounce back.