Lion-tailed Macaque

Facts

IUCN ENDANGERED (EN)

Facts about this animal

The Lion-tailed Macaque is a medium-sized macaque, with a head-body length of 50-60 cm (male), with females being a bit smaller. The tail is about two-thirds of the length of head and body and tufted at the tip. The males tail-tuft is more developed than that of the females. The coat is black with brownish grey to greyish white facial ruff on either side of the head, meeting below the chin.

The habitat of the Lion-tailed Macaque has been drastically reduced by the spread of agriculture and teak, coffee, tea and other plantations. Because they appear neither to use plantations, nor even travel through them, their range has become increasingly isolated and fragmented. Today, they only live in mountain forests scattered across three Indian states: Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.

Did you know?
that in zoos, lion-tailed macaques have lived for more than 30 years? Their longevity in the wild is likely much shorter.

Factsheet
Class	MAMMALIA
Order	PRIMATES
Suborder	SIMIAE
Family	CERCOPITHECIDAE
Name (Scientific)	Macaca silenus
Name (English)	Lion-tailed Macaque
Name (French)	Macaque ouandérou, Macaque à queue de lion
Name (German)	Bartaffe, Wanderu
Name (Spanish)	Macaca leonina, Macaco barbudo
Local names	Hindi: Siah bandar Malay:Nella manthi Tamil: Karungkorungoo, Arakkan
CITES Status	Appendix I
CMS Status	Not listed

Photo Copyright by
Jiri Bohdal

Distribution

Distribution
Range	India
Habitat	Evergreen and semi-evergreen rainforests
Wild population	Approx.4,000 individuals (2006) (Red List IUCN 2011)
Zoo population	412 reported to ISIS (2007)

In the Zoo

How this animal should be transported

For air transport, Container Note 31 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed.

Find this animal on ZooLex

Photo Copyright by
Jiri Bohdal

Why do zoos keep this animal

The lion-tailed macaque is an endangered species in the wild. With a view of building up a viable reserve population, an International Studbook has been established already in 1982 under the WAZA umbrella, and coordinated conservation breeding programmes are operated at the regional level by ARAZPA, EAZA and JAZA.

How this animal should be kept

Lion-tailed macaques are social animals and should be kept in groups. For a group of up to five adults with their offspring an outdoor enclosure of at least 50 m²/3 m high should be provided, but preferably the monkeys should be kept in a much larger enclosure, with natural vegetation, and could be confined by water moats or electrified fences.

The enclosures must have ample climbing and swaying opportunities, such as live or dead trees, branches, ropes, nets, hammocks, and boards at different levels. In warmer climatic zones there should be an additional shelter/separation cage, in colder zones both an indoor and outdoor enclosure is required. The indoor enclosure should have a size of at least 30 m²/3 m high. Indoor temperature should be maintained at 15ºC at least. In artificially lightened indoor enclosures the day phase should be 12 h. The indoor enclosure should be connected by at least two doors to the outdoor enclosure.

Food should be offered at several places and at least twice per day. It should consist of a variety of fruit and vegetables, seeds and nuts, branches in leaf as well as some animal protein.