Delacour's Langur

About this species

Size

Head and body 57–62cm; tail 82–88cm

Weight

Males 7.5–10.5kg; females 6.2–9.2kg

Diet

Foliage (about 78%), plus fruit, seeds and flowers

Habitat

Open forest on limestone karst, up to 328m

Range

Northern Vietnam only (about 6,000 km²)

Gestation

170–200 days

Delacour's langur, or Delacour's lutung, is a species of Old World monkey endemic to northern Vietnam, named for the French-American ornithologist Jean Theodore Delacour. It is somewhat larger than its closest relatives, Francois' langur and the Laotian langur. The fur is predominantly black with white markings on the face and distinctive creamy-white fur over the rump and outer thighs; females also have a pale pubic patch. It has a crest of long, upright hair over the forehead and crown (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is found only in an area of about 6,000 km² in and around Hanoi and in Ninh Binh, Ha Nam, Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa provinces. The largest surviving population is thought to be in Van Long Nature Reserve, Ninh Binh. Langurs are diurnal and often sleep on open rock surfaces or in limestone caves; groups were once reported of up to 30 animals but are now typically four to 16. Females bear a single orange-furred young after 170–200 days, and the coat turns black from about four months.

Description: Wildlife of Vietnam guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)