Fun Silvery Lutung Facts For Kids

If you like reading about different monkeys, you will love this article on the silvery lutung. The silvery lutung has the scientific name Trachypithecus cristatus and they arealso known as silvery langurs.

This monkey is a member of the Old World monkey group that is found living in different kinds of forests and plantations.

They are arboreal in nature and spend the majority of their time in the trees of different forests, rarely leaving these trees. Silvery lutungs are native to Indonesia, Brunei, and Malaysia, and they are found in places like Sumatra, Bangka, Jombol, and Borneo to name a few.

These monkeys are also known as the silvered leaf monkey or the silvery langur. Male silvery lutungs are slightly bigger than females and females can also be differentiated by the presence of white patches on their flanks.

Females give birth to a well-developed infant and young silvery lutungs have orange fur which persists for three to five months after birth. These monkeys are social in nature and their group consists of one male and several females. The population of this species is under threat mainly due to habitat loss.

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Silvery Lutung Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a silvery lutung?

The silvery lutung is an Old World monkey, generally found in Indonesia, Brunei, and Malaysia. It is also known as the silvered leaf monkey or the silvery langur.

What class of animal does a silvery lutung belong to?

The silvery lutung (Trachypithecus cristatus) belongs to the class Mammalia.

How many silvery lutungs are there in the world?

Though the exact population of silvery lutungs is not known, their numbers have been decreasing in the wild. In Borneo, these monkeys are considered to be quite rare. Their population is also severely fragmented and there has been a constant decrease in the number of adult males and females of this arboreal species.

Where does a silvery lutung live?

The silvery lutung is found in the countries of Indonesia, Brunei, and Malaysia. In these countries, they can be found in places like the Natuna Islands, Sumatra, Jombol, Sugi, Sabah, and Borneo among others.

What is a silvery lutung's habitat?

The habitat of a silvery lutung mainly consists of forests. Their most common habitats are coastal, mangrove, and riverine forests.

Depending on the location, their habitat can vary. In Sumatra and Java, these monkeys can be found in inland forests, whereas in the Malayan Peninsula, they are seen in mangrove and sub-coastal forests. They can also be found in plantations.

Who do silvery lutungs live with?

The silvery lutung, also known as the silvered leaf monkey, is a social mammal that is often found living in groups. Each group has one male and between nine and 48 females.

These animals are usually peaceful, but instances of conflicts within the group or between groups have been noted. Additionally, since silvery lutungs are sold as pets, they can live with humans, too.

How long does a silvery lutung live?

The lifespan of a silvery lutung (Trachypithecus cristatus) is 20 years in the wild and 29 years in captivity.

How do they reproduce?

Silvery lutungs are polygynous in nature, meaning one male mates with several females. Reproduction occurs year-round, with the most number of births occurring from December to May. After successful mating, there is a gestation period of six or seven months. Following this, females give birth to one well-developed baby. Young lutungs are taken care of by both parents.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of the silvery lutung (Trachypithecus cristatus) has been marked as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (the IUCN). They are threatened particularly by a loss of habitat. They are also affected by pet trades, especially in Sumatra.

Silvery Lutung Fun Facts

What do silvery lutungs look like?

The silvered leaf monkey or the silvery lutung has a unique appearance that sets this Old World monkey apart from others. They have black, brown, or gray pelage with lighter gray tips, which gives a characteristic silvery appearance.

Their hands and feet are black in color. Their tail is long with dense fur. Newly born silvery lutungs or silvered leaf monkeys have orange fur with white hands and feet.

The orange fur is replaced by silvery fur as seen in adults within three to five months of age. Males are slightly larger than females and females are known to have white patches on their inner flanks.

How cute are they?

Like titi monkeys, silver-leafed monkeys or silvery lutungs are quite cute in appearance due to their silvery pelage. Adult females give birth to babies with orange fur, who look extremely adorable.

How do they communicate?

Silvery lutungs communicate mainly through vocalizations. These Old World monkeys are said to have 13 different kinds of calls.

Young males and females produce a 'ho' sound when they come in contact with each other. 'Ku-ku' calls are made by adult females to each other, and young members of a group also produce 'ku' sounds. They also produce different alarm and threat calls.

How big is a silvery lutung?

The body length of male silvery lutungs is between 20.6-22 in (52.4–56 cm), while in females, the average length is between 18.3-19.5 in (46.5–49.6 cm). This Old World monkey species has a significantly long tail, that can measure around 24.8-33 in (63-84 cm). The silvery langur is longer than the vervet monkey.

How fast can a silvery lutung move?

The silvered leaf monkey or the silvery lutung is primarily arboreal in nature and rarely leaves the trees to spend time on the ground. They are not very fast and appear low on energy, mainly due to their diet.

They swing from one tree to another or walk with the help of four limbs on the ground, usually in a group.

How much does a silvery lutung weigh?

The weight of silver-leafed monkeys or silver lutungs is between 10.8-17.6 lb (4.9-8 kg). Male silvered leaf monkeys have an average body weight of 15.6 lb (7.1 kg), whereas female silvered leaf monkeys have an average weight of 13.6 lb (6.2 kg). They are way bulkier than Tamarin monkeys.

What are their male and female names of the species?

Male and female members of this Old World monkey group are known as male silvery lutungs and female silvery lutungs. They can also be referred to as a male or female silvery langur, and a male or female silvered leaf monkey.

What would you call a baby silvery lutung?

A baby silvery lutung is known as a newborn or infant.

What do they eat?

Silvery lutungs are herbivorous in nature. Their diet mainly consists of various leaves, flowers, fruits, buds, and seeds.

Are they poisonous?

Trachypithecus cristatus monkeys, also known as the silvered leaf monkey, are not poisonous.

Would they make a good pet?

Silvery lutung populations are severely threatened due to a variety of causes, one of which is the pet trade. Silvery lutung pets can be found in some areas, but it is best to let them be in their natural habitat.

Did you know...

The tail of silvery lutungs is non-prehensile, meaning it cannot be used by the lutung to grasp or hold any surfaces.

The sub-species Trachypithecus cristatus cristatus of silvery lutungs can be found in the Natuna Islands, Sumatra, and Borneo.

What can we learn about human evolution from the silvery lutung?

Silvery lutungs are members of the Old World monkey group, belonging to the family Cercopithecidae. They are very closely related to humans, belonging to the family Hominidae.

During evolution, Hominoids diverged from the Old World monkey group almost 25 million years ago. Further divergence led to the formation of the genus Homo, around three to five million years ago, of which humans (Homo sapiens) are a member.

What are the different types of lutung?

Apart from the silvery lutung (Trachypithecus cristatus), there are other members of the lutung group, who are all Old World monkeys. Members of this group are also known as langurs or leaf monkeys.

The Ebony lutung or East Javan langur is found in Java Island and other Indonesian islands. They appear glossy black with a brown tinge. Germain's langur is another kind of lutung species found in Burma, Laos, and Cambodia among some other places.

The upper parts of their body are black, while their underparts are a pale gray. Some other lutungs are purple-faced langurs, dusky leaf monkeys, and capped langurs.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals from our Shikoku dog facts and American Eskimo dog facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable silvery lutung coloring pages.