Douc langur

Facts

IUCN ENDANGERED (EN)

Facts about this animal

The Douc is a colourful large langur. The head-body length ranges from 55-76 cm, the tail length from 56-76 cm., and the body-weight up to11 kg. Females are somewhat smaller than males, weighing about 8 kg.

There are two or three subspecies. Outside their natural range only the red-shanked Douc langur (P. n. nemaeus is kept by zoos. The upper parts of this colourful monkey are grey, the thighs black and the shanks maroon-red. The forearms are white, hands and feet black. The yellow face is framed by a white ruff, which is considerably fluffier in males. The eyelids are a soft powder blue. The tail is white with a triangle of white hair at the base. Males of all ages have a white spot on both sides of the corners of the rump patch, females don't have these. Males have red and white genitals.

Douc langurs are social animals living in multimale-multifemale groups of up to 50 animals - usually less - consisting of more females than males, and males being dominant to females. They are diurnal and arboreal and move quadrupedally.

The diet of the Douc langur consists primarily of leaves, but it also consumes fruit, buds, flowers, and bamboo shoots. It has a sacculated stomach to assist in the breakdown of cellulose.

After a a gestation period of 165-190 days, the female gives birth to one single infant, which has a pelage colouration where the face is black with two light stripes beneath the eyes, the top of the head is reddish-black, and the back is light chestnut in color with a black line along the back.

Did you know?
That eating the wrong thing upsets the douc’s complex digestive system and they can become very ill and even die, making them very difficult to keep in captivity and highly habitat dependent.

Factsheet
Class	MAMMALIA
Order	PRIMATES
Suborder	SIMIAE
Family	CERCOPITHECIDAE
Name (Scientific)	Pygathrix nemaeus
Name (English)	Douc langur
Name (French)	Rhinopithéque douc
Name (German)	Kleideraffe
Name (Spanish)	Langur douc, Mono pigatrix
Local names	Vooc va (Viet Namese)
CITES Status	Appendix I
CMS Status	Not listed

Photo Copyright by
Art G.

Distribution

Distribution
Range	Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam)
Habitat	Multiple types of primary and secondary forest habitats from sea level to altitudes of 2000 metres, where it lives in the mid to upper levels of the canopy
Wild population	Not yet known, but it is believed there are just a few thousand left in the wild (WWF)
Zoo population	24 reported to ISIS (2006)

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
Art G.

Why do zoos keep this animal

The Douc langur is endangered in the wild. It is an extremely appealing monkey and would thus be a good ambassador species for primate and forest conservation in its indo-chinese range. The species has, however, proven to be dififcult to keep outside its natural range, which may be due largely to its nutritional requirements. Consequently, only a very few Douc langurs are kept in zoos outside South-East Asia.

How this animal should be kept

The Douc langur is a social species and should be kept in groups. Outdoor enclosures for a group of five adults with their offspring should have a surface of no less than 100 m² and a height of 5 m, although legal requirements may be lower. In cold and temperate climates, an indoor eclosure is mandatory. For up to 5 animals it should have a minimum surface of 25 m² and a height of 3 m, although ideally it should be larger. The separation towards the visitor should be made of glass to prevent infections and feeding. A minimum temperature of 15°C should be maintained.

Both outdoor and indoor enclosures must be well structured, have ample climbing opportunities, and allow the animals to withdraw.

The diet must include a high percentage of foliage or branches in leaf. In addition vegetables with a high content of crude fiber, and small amounts of fruit and animal protein should be fed. Douc langurs should be fed at least three times per day.