Mentawai langur facts for kids
The Mentawai langur (also known as Presbytis potenziani) is a type of primate, which is a group of mammals that includes monkeys and apes. It lives only on the Mentawai Islands in Indonesia. These islands are covered in warm, wet forests. Another monkey, the Siberut langur, used to be thought of as a part of the Mentawai langur family.
Quick facts for kids Mentawai langur |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Presbytis
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| Species: |
potenziani
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| Mentawai langur range | |
Contents
What Mentawai Langurs Look Like
Baby Mentawai langurs are born with soft, white fur. After just a few weeks, their fur starts to get darker. Their faces also become dark. This color change starts on their back and head, then spreads to their sides.
By three months old, their fur is mostly jet black. Their belly and chest turn a dark reddish-brown. Their throat, cheeks, forehead, and the tip of their tail stay white. Male langurs have a special white patch of fur that helps tell them apart from females. These langurs have a thin body. Their back legs are longer than their front legs.
Where Mentawai Langurs Live
Mentawai langurs live only on a few islands in Indonesia. These islands are called Sipora, North Pagai, and South Pagai. They make their homes in both old and new forests. These forests have many tall trees.
The trees where langurs sleep are usually about 35 meters (115 feet) tall. They like to sleep high up in these trees, above 20 meters (65 feet). This is where the tree branches are thickest. They often choose to sleep in areas with coconut trees.
How Mentawai Langurs Behave
Mentawai langurs travel about 540 meters (1,770 feet) each day. Heavy rain can change how they move. Lighter rain does not affect them much. They move by running on all fours and climbing. They also leap between branches high in the trees. When they are closer to the ground, they might drop down.
Their home areas can be from 11 to 40 hectares (27 to 99 acres) in size. These groups do not move to new areas. Langurs live in different kinds of groups. Some groups have one male and one female. Others have one male with many females. Some groups even have many males and many females living together.
Mentawai langurs spend most of their time resting and looking for food. They spend less time traveling or playing with each other. They need to rest a lot because their diet is hard to digest. Adult males often leave the group early in the morning. They make long calls to communicate.
What Mentawai Langurs Eat
These langurs usually find their food high up in the trees. In some places, their diet is mostly leaves, about 55%. Fruits and seeds make up about 32% of what they eat. The rest, about 13%, comes from other foods. This can include flowers, tree bark, sap, and even fungi.
However, groups that live in newer forests eat differently. Their diet is about 70% fruits and seeds. They also eat a lot of climbing plants.
Protecting Mentawai Langurs
The Mentawai langur is in great danger. It is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List. This means their numbers have dropped a lot. In the 36 years before 2021, their population went down by about 80%.
The biggest dangers to these monkeys are humans. People hunt them for food. Also, their forest homes are being destroyed for farming. About 25% of the hunting is done by local people on Siberut Island.
To help save them, experts have made some suggestions:
- Create a special nature reserve on Siberut Island.
- Set up a primate reserve on South Pagai Island and nearby small islands.
- Study the monkeys on Sipora Island to learn more about them.
- Start a program to breed them in zoos to help their numbers grow.
- Begin campaigns to teach people about protecting langurs.
- Enforce laws to stop hunting them.
