Fun White-headed Langur Facts For Kids
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Do you find monkeys, like the patas monkey, interesting? Then here we have all the information you need on the white-headed langurs.
The white-headed langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus) is an Endangered species of langur monkey that is endemic to Vietnam. They are also known as a Cat Ba langur and a golden-headed langur. These langurs can only be found in the Cat Ba Island of Ha Long Bay.
They live in groups made up of families and bachelor langurs. Their population has gone down since the last few decades, which has led to fewer numbers of male and female langurs, and that led to a low number in reproduction. The female now gives birth to a single infant in a span of two to three years.
However, their population numbers were never that high, to begin with. They have distinctive yellowish-gray fur covering their head that extends to their chin.
Read on to know more about the white-headed langur. You can also check out other species such as drill monkey and night monkey.
White-headed Langur Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a white-headed langur?
The white-headed langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus) is a species of monkey.
What class of animal does a white-headed langur belong to?
The Cat Ba langur belongs to the class Mammalia of animals.
How many white-headed langurs are there in the world?
Since the numbers of the white-headed langurs have come down to only a few, their population has been counted many times. As of 2010, their total population was 40-53 individuals.
As of 2016, the count was 51-54 individuals with 30-35 mature langurs in them. As of 2019, the numbers had gone up again, and there were 67 individuals. It can be seen that their population is showing an increasing trend.
Where does a white-headed langur live?
These langurs are known to be endemic to Vietnam. They are found in Ha Long Bay, located on the northeast coast of Vietnam.
More specifically, they are only seen on Cat Ba Island. The entire population of these langurs lives in the Cat Ba National Park. They can be seen living up to the elevation of 426.5 ft (130 m).
What is a white-headed langur's habitat?
The primary habitat of the Cat Ba langur is thought to be the limestone hill forests. These langurs are terrestrial and arboreal in nature. They also take shelter from predators and hunters in the caves that are found in these hill forests.
Who do white-headed langurs live with?
These langurs can be solitary, but mostly they can be seen in groups. Groups of many bachelor males and familial groups of one male with many females and their offsprings have been seen. Group size has been observed to be a single langur to 21-23 individuals.
How long does a white-headed langur live?
In the past few years, researchers have observed the average age of death for the white-headed langur to be up to about 25 years. Another species belonging to the same family as these langurs, patas monkeys are known to live up to 12-20 years.
How do they reproduce?
The white-headed langurs breed throughout the year, but it mostly peaks around August. Both the male and the female of the species reach sexual maturity at the age of four to six years. They are polygynous in nature. Not much is known about the courtship behavior between the male and the female.
The gestation period is about six months. After that, the female gives birth to a single baby. The parenting happens in a way where many females take care of the young ones together in a group.
What is their conservation status?
The conservation status of this species, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, is listed as Critically Endangered. There are less than 100 of these langurs left in this world, but the white-headed langur population numbers are going up.
They are also included in the CITES Appendix II. In general, many species of langurs are endangered due to habitat loss and hunting in their native habitats.
White-headed Langur Fun Facts
What do white-headed langurs look like?
The white-headed langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus) has a slender and long body with long limbs, a flat nose, big and rounded eyes, and an exceptionally long tail. They have an overall black to dark brown-colored fur on their body with black-colored hands and feet.
The fur on their back is longer, and a band of pale gray hair can be seen starting from their lower back and ending on their outer things. They have yellow to orange-colored fur on their shoulders and neck.
A tuft of yellowish-gray hair can be seen covering their head that runs along the sides of their faces to their chin. The juveniles stay a flashy orange color for a long period of time.
How do they communicate?
Not everyone will consider them cute, but they are surely extraordinary animals. They have also not been seen to be aggressive.
How big is a white-headed langur?
An adult Cat Ba langur has a body length of about 19.7-23.6 in (50-60 cm) and a tail length of about 32-35 in (82-89 cm). They are around the same size as woolly monkeys, which are about 19.6 in (50 cm) in length.
How fast can a white-headed langur move?
The exact speed at which these langurs move is not known. However, they have been seen to move at a moderate pace and jump a great distance and height. They are great climbers and jumpers. They can cover long distances and heights by jumping from tree to tree to rock to a tree.
How much does a white-headed langur weigh?
An adult golden-headed langur weighs about 19.8-26.5 lb (9-12 kg) on average.
What are the male and female names of the species?
The males and the females of the species have no specific names.
What would you call a baby white-headed langur?
A baby golden-headed langur is called an infant.
What do they eat?
These langurs are herbivorous in nature. They feed on various plant materials, like shoots, fruits, flowers, leaves, bark, and more. They can even eat poisonous materials and drink small amounts of saltwater.
Are they dangerous?
No, they don't pose any danger towards any humans or otherwise. They are also not aggressive in nature.
Would they make a good pet?
No, they don't make good pets as they are wild animals. In addition, only a very few of them are left, so it would be best not to take them away from their natural habitat, where they can thrive.
Did you know...
There are about 159 known species of langur monkeys in this world. They all differ according to their appearance and geographic ranges. Many of these species are Endangered.
What does the white-headed langur name mean?
The scientific name of the golden-headed langur is Trachypithecus poliocephalus. The 'trach' from the word 'Trachypithecus' in Latin means 'rough', and 'pithekos' means 'ape'; whereas 'poliós' from the word 'poliocephalus' means 'gray' and 'kephalḗ' means 'headed'.
Why is the white-headed langur Endangered?
The population of these langurs was never a number that was high. Even so, they were hunted for sports and medicinal purposes on a large scale. Human habitation also led to habitat fragmentation and disturbances within the habitat range of these animals. This is another reason their population decreased.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these colobus monkey facts and spider monkey facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable lemur in a tree coloring pages.
Both images by ALOnIShOnETH.
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Bachelor of Arts specializing in English
Arkoprabho SadhuBachelor of Arts specializing in English
Arkoprabho is an English graduate from Bidhannagar University with experience in academic writing on various subjects such as business management, law, and medicine. He is a published poet and enjoys films, music, and finance. As a member of the Content Updating team, he aims to become an expert in SEO content writing and editing. In his free time, he likes to write film scripts, research the stock market, and indulge in creative interests such as poetry writing, anime, and music.
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