Cat Ba Langur

About this species

Size

Body about 50cm; tail about 85cm

Weight

Adult females slightly over 9kg

Habitat

Limestone karst forest, moist tropical forest

Range

Cat Ba Island, Vietnam (endemic)

The Cat Ba langur, also known as the golden-headed langur, is a langur endemic to Cat Ba Island, Vietnam. It is among the rarest primates in the world and possibly the rarest in Asia, with a population estimated at fewer than 70 animals, up from about 40 in 2003 thanks to conservation efforts (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is blackish overall, with a dark brown coat, black skin and a bright golden to yellowish-white head and shoulders; the tail is very long (about 85 cm) compared with the body (about 50 cm). Babies are golden-orange and begin to change colour at about four months. It lives in the limestone karst forests of Cat Ba, the largest island in the Cat Ba archipelago near Ha Long Bay, a landscape of ridges, towers and fissures drowned by the sea. It is diurnal and uses caves, ledges and overhangs for sleeping; accessible sleeping caves were once used by hunters to capture or kill langurs.

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