The Nilgiri langur (Semnopithecus johnii ) is a langur (a type of Old World monkey). This primate has glossy black fur on its body and golden brown fur on its head. It is similar in size and long-tailed like the gray langurs. Females have a white patch of fur on the inner thigh. It typically lives in troops of nine to ten monkeys. Its diet consists of fruits, shoots and leaves. The species is classified as vulnerable due to habitat destruction and poaching for its fur and flesh, the latter believed to have aphrodisiac properties.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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FolivoreIn zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less ...
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FrugivoreA frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts, and seeds. Approx...
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GranivoreSeed predation, often referred to as granivory, is a type of plant-animal interaction in which granivores (seed predators) feed on the seeds of pla...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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BrowsingBrowsing is a type of herbivory in which an herbivore (or, more narrowly defined, a folivore) feeds on leaves, soft shoots, or fruits of high-growi...
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ZoochoryZoochory animals are those that can disperse plant seeds in several ways. Seeds can be transported on the outside of vertebrate animals (mostly mam...
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NomadicNomadic animals regularly move to and from the same areas within a well-defined range. Most animals travel in groups in search of better territorie...
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ScansorialScansorial animals are those that are adapted to or specialized for climbing. Many animals climb not only in tress but also in other habitats, such...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
Among animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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Dominance hierarchyA dominance hierarchy (formerly and colloquially called a pecking order) is a type of social hierarchy that arises when members of animal social gr...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withNilgiri langurs are primates that belong to an Old World monkey family. These animals have glossy black fur on their body and golden brown fur on their head. Females in this species have a white patch of fur on the inner thigh.
Nilgiri langurs are found in the Nilgiri Hills of the Western Ghats in South India. Their range also includes Kodagu in Karnataka, Kodayar Hills in Tamil Nadu, and many other hilly areas in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. These primates live in tropical moist forests.
Nilgiri langurs are arboreal and diurnal creatures. They are social and typically live in troops of nine to ten monkeys. Each troop may inlude several males and several females, one male and several females, or one or more solitary males. Nilgiri langurs are territorial and social status is very important especially for for males. The dominant female shows dominance mainly by choosing preferred feeding and sleeping sites. The dominant male will show dominance in the traveling direction and timing of the troop, and also in freedom of choice in daily life. Nilgiri langurs spend majority of their time foraging. The rest time they spend playing, grooming, chasing, watching or fighting. These animlas communicate mainly through vocalizations but also use tactile, and visual signals. Some visual expressions include a submissive head shaking, a threatening open mouth and a friendly play invitation. Tactile communication includes embracing, licking, biting, stroking, and slapping.
Nilgiri langurs are herbivores (folivores, frugivores). They eat mainly leaves, flowers, buds and seeds. These langurs may also feed on bark, stems, insects, and earth.
Little is known about the mating system in Nilgiri langurs. Their breeding season ocuurs year-round. Females give birth to a single infant and the gestation period is assumed to last around 200 days. Newborn babies weigh around 0.5 kg. The mother protects and nurses her offspring almost a year. She will carry they baby clinged to her belly and cover in shelter from rain. At one year of age when the infant is weand it becomes completely independent from the mother. Until this time it spends most of the time with mother or with other close females in troop, and rarely may contact with adult males.
Main threats to Nilgiri langurs are poaching and the loss of the habitat. These animals are hunted for their fur and flesh. Their skin is used for making drums and other parts of the body are used for meat and in traditional medicine. This species loses its habitat due to mining, dams, crop plantations, fragmentation, deliberate fires, human settlement, road kills, storms/flooding. Nilgiri langurs are also used in local trade for pets.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of Nilgiri langurs is less than 20,000 individuals. This species’ numbers are decreasing and it is currently classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List.
Nilgiri langurs consume different species of plants in addition to fruits, nuts, and seeds thus playing an important role in their ecosystem as seed dispersers.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...