Bhutan- Animal Archive- Golden and Capped Langurs

Golden LangurGolden and Capped Langurs

The golden langur lives only in Bhutan and adjacent Assam. It probably evolved in geographic isolation on the western side of the Manas river. On the other side of the river is its close cousin, the capped langur. No golden langurs are found on the river's eastern side.

The diet of the langur - a vegetarian -- is composed mainly of mature leaves, but it also eats young leaves and fruit. During the monsoon season, fruit may comprise up to 50 percent of the langur's diet. Feeding strategy is adapted to cope with seasonal food scarcity. Langurs seldom leave the trees, even to drink from streams. They take water from dew or rain drenched leaves. They live in troops of as many as 50, though the golden langur, one of the rarest primates on earth, was only discovered in the 1920s and is generally found in smaller Golden and Capped Langurstroops of about nine individuals. The common langur is one of the most commonly seen species in Bhutan and throughout the Himalaya. Like the rhesus macaque, this species is sacred to many Himalayan peoples.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7sa7SZ6arn1%2Basaa60miZoa2klrtwrb6go2egpKI%3D