Mammals of the WorldNilgiri Langur
Semnopithecus johnii
- Order
- Primates
- Family
- Cercopithecidae
- Genus
- Semnopithecus
- IUCN status
- VU
- Distribution
- India
- Realm
- Indomalaya
Other names: Black Leaf Monkey|Hooded Leaf Monkey|Indian Hooded Leaf Monkey|John's Langur|Nilgiri Black Langur|Nilgiri Leaf Monkey|South Indian Black Leaf Monkey
About this species
- Size
- Head and body: males 78–80cm, females 58–60cm; tail 68.5–96.5cm
- Weight
- Males 9.1–14.8kg; females 10.9–12kg
- Diet
- Fruits, shoots and leaves
- Habitat
- Nilgiri Hills, at about 300–2,000m
- Range
- Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu
- Gestation
- Assumed about 200 days
The Nilgiri langur has glossy black fur and an orangey golden-brown mane on the head that looks like hair. Females have a white patch of fur on the inner thigh. Adult males are 78–80 cm in head and body length and females 58–60 cm, with a tail of 68.5–96.5 cm. Males weigh 9.1–14.8 kg (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is native to the Nilgiri Hills of southern India, at about 300–2,000 m in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It has been sighted in Bandipur, Mudumalai, Mukurthi, Eravikulam, Anamalai, Periyar and Silent Valley, among other protected areas. It typically lives in troops of nine or ten animals, with or without offspring depending on the season, and eats fruits, shoots and leaves. The gestation period is not precisely known but is assumed to be about 200 days (Wikipedia, general species account).
Description: Wildlife of India guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)