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| Ape sitting on the mound © Vivek Sharma / Unsplash |
India is a very diverse land area with varied destinations for travelers to visit nature and wildlife, which are marked places like dense forests, grasslands, wetlands, deserts and more. Indian biodiversity has been fully supportive variety of flora and fauna and monkeys are one of them. India is a large residence from the beginning for diverse species of monkeys and nearly more than 20 species of primates are found in India – including Macaque Primate, Langur, Western Hoolock Gibbon and more.
We are sharing with you the list of the 10 most visible primate species in India, although these are not exhaustive.
Western Hoolock Gibbon
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| Male and Female Gibbons © Ben Kerckx / Pixabay |
The north-east forests of India have always been supporting biodiversity. These forests also support the highest diversity of primates, including the rare primates found in the country, the Hoolock gibbon and primate from the gibbon family. Hoolock gibbons (Hoolock hoolock) are found in small populations in northeast India states, such as Assam, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya. Including the Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary in Assam, and the Namdapha National Park, Arunachal Pradesh, a protected reserve for these species in India.
Place to see: Assam, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh
Phayre’s Leaf Monkey
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| Curious eyes of Phayre's Leaf Monkey © USAID / Flickr |
The Phayre's leaf monkey (Trachypithecus phayrei), also known as the Phayre's langur, is a medium-sized Colobine known for its beautiful ‘spectacled’ face looks. It is found in Southeast Asian countries including India, Bangladesh, China, Thailand, Laos. Although this species is listed as endangered, its population has been decreasing gradually over the past several years. The species epithet commemorates Arthur Purves Phayre.
Place to see: Tripura
Lion-Tailed Macaque
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| Chewing the sprig © PublicDomainPictures / Pixabay |
Lion-Tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus), this species is endemic to the majestic Western Ghats of South India. Which are related to the Old World monkeys. These can be seen in the Kalakkad Tiger Reserve and Silent Valley National Park. However, this rare species of macaque are also becoming endangered. The image of a lion-tailed monkey, hairless face is black in colour. The chin is surrounded by silver-white mane around the head. Their tails have a length of about 25 cm, similar the lion's tail, which gives them the title of a Lion-Tailed.
Place to see: Tamil Nadu
Stump-tailed Macaque
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| Monkey on Banana Tree © Erik Karits / Pexels |
Stump-tailed macaque (Macaca arctoides), also known as bear macaque, are a species of macaque primate found in north eastern India. Which is found in the valley area, to the south of the Brahmaputra River. Stump-tailed macaques are very unique species and known for their pinkish or redish face with dark brown fur all over their body, turning red with age. Usually, with a variety of vegetation in food, water crabs, frogs, such as organisms, make their meal.
Place to see: Assam and Mizoram
Gee's Golden Langur
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| Gee's Golden Langur with infant © David Cook / Flickr |
Gee's Golden Langur (Trachypithecus geei), also known as the Golden Langur, is an old world monkey of the endangered species. Considered beautiful in India, this primate is found in a small area of Assam near the Brahmaputra River Valley. The Golden Langur, considered sacred by the Himalayan people, is one of the most endangered species in India. The fur on the entire body is from cream to shiny golden and the face is hairless black. It is observed that their fur changes color according to the seasons.
Place to see: Assam
Nilgiri Langur
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| Nilgiri Langur, living only in the legends © Pandiyan / Flickr |
The Nilgiri Langur (Semnopithecus johnii) is a langur primates, a type of monkey belonging to the family of Monkeys of the Old World. It is found in the Nilgiri Hills and other parts of the region in the Western Ghats of South India. Nilgiri langurs are slowly disappearing due to deforestation and poaching over the years. The image of this primate consists of shiny black fur on the body and golden brown fur on the head. While the females have a white patch of fur on the inner thigh. They take fruits, leaves, flowers and seeds in their meal.
Place to see: Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu
Arunachal Macaque
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| A shy Arunachal Macaque escaping after seeing © Kingshuk Mondal / Flickr |
Arunachal macaque (Macaca munzala) are natives found in the deep forest of Arunachal Pradesh in north-east India. These primates are relatively large brown in size with short tails and very dark faces. These are listed in the endangered list, which is gradually being observed. With Arunachal macaque groups, the mountains of Arunachal live in dense forests in the high altitude of the valley.
Place to see: Arunachal Pradesh
Capped Langur
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| An expressive Capped langur © Siddarth Machado / Flickr |
The Capped Langur (Trachypithecus pileatus) is a species of primate, native to the northeast region of India. It is commonly found in subtropical or tropical dry forests. They are naturally, arboreal, in flock and tree-living. They form a herd of 12-15 langurs, led by a male langur, who is their head. With an extra cap of fur on their heads, they appear quite similar to the Gray Langur. And are phytophagous, eating buds, leaves, flowers, fruits in their meal.
There are other four capped langur subspecies:
Trachypithecus pileatus durga - (Orange-bellied capped langur)
Trachypithecus pileatus pileatus - (Blond-bellied capped langur)
Trachypithecus pileatus brahma - (Buff-bellied capped langur)
Trachypithecus pileatus tenebricus - (Tenebrous capped langur)
Place to see: Assam
Bengal Slow Loris
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| Slow Loris, night primate, © Vladimir Buynevich / Flickr |
Bengal Slow Loris (Nycticebus bengalensis) is a nocturnal and arboreal primate, and is native to the Indian subcontinent. Of the eight species of Slow Loris, it is most closely related to the Sunda slow loris. Bengal Slow Loris nocturnal, will try to bite anyone and their sharp teeth have the ability to shed blood. Of all the Loris species, it is the largest that resides in the northernmost regions of Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh. By 2001, they were recognised as a distinct species, previously considered a subspecies of Nycticebus coucang. It is the largest species of slow loris (tree dwelling), which have a round head, flat face, small ears, large eyes, a vestigial tail and woollen fur.
Place to see: Assam and Arunachal Pradesh
Northern Pig-tailed Macaque
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| Closest face of Northern Pig-tailed Macaque © Tontantravel / Flickr |
The Northern pig-tailed macaque (Macaca leonina) is a species of macaque found in the areas of the Brahmaputra River Valley in the northeastern part of India. Their range in India extends to Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, and Tripura. They inhabit in a pleasant terrain including bamboo forests, deciduous, and clouds, and prefers to live at higher altitudes, about 6500 feet. Before that, Macaca leonina (commonly called the Northern Pig-tailed Macaque) was considered a subspecies of the Southern Pig-tailed macaque (also known as the scientific name, Macaca nemestrina), but has now been recognized as an individual species.
Place to see: Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, and Tripura
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