Lion-tailed Macaque

The Lion-tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus) is an Old World monkey that lives only in southwest India.

The skin of the Lion-tailed Macaques is dark-brown or black, and their most outstanding characteristic is the silver-white mane which surrounds the head from the cheeks down to its chin, which gives this monkey its German name of "Beard Ape". The hairless face is black colored. With a head-to-tail length of 45 to 60 cm and a weight of 3 to 10 kg it ranks among the smaller macaques. The tail is medium length with a length of approximately 25 cm and is a black tuft at the end, similar to an lion's tail.

Lion-tailed Macaques are diurnal rain forest dwellers. They are good climbers and spend a majority of their life in the trees. Unlike other macaques, they avoid the human proximity. In their group behavior they are much like other macaques: they live in hierarchical groups from usually ten to twenty animals, which consist of some males and many females. They are territorial animals, defending their area first with loud crys towards the invading troops. This proves fruitless, they can brawl aggressively.

Lion-tailed Macaques nourish themselves primarily of fruits, but also eat leaves, buds, insects and small vertebrates.

Gestation is about approximately six months. The young are nursed for one year. Sexual maturity is reached at four years (females) or six years (males). The life expectancy in the wild is approximately 20 years, while in captivity up to 30 years.

Lion-tailed Macaques rank among the rarest and most threatened primates. According to estimations of the IUCN, only approximately 2,500 of these animals lives scattered over several areas in southwest India. The destruction of their habitat and the fact that they avoid human proximity, has led to the drastic decrease of their population. Many zoos take part in breeding programs which help to secure the survival of this species.