Tami Nadu - Wildlife of Tamil Nadu - Nilgiri Langur at Tamil Nadu

Nilgiri Langur at Tamil Nadu

The Nilgiri Langur Trachypithecus johnii is a lutung (a type of Old World monkey) found in the Nilgiri Hills of the Western Ghats in South India. Its range also includes Kodagu in Karnataka, Palani Hills in Tamil Nadu and many other hilly areas in Kerala. This primate has glossy black fur on its body and golden brown fur on its head. It is similar in size and long tailed like the gray langurs. Females have a white patch of fur on the inner thigh. It lives in troops of five to 16 monkeys. The animal is often seen encroaching into agricultural lands. Its diet consists of fruits, shoots and leaves. The species is endangered due to deforestation and poaching for its fur and flesh, the latter believed to have aphrodisiac properties.

 

Scientific classification

Kingdom:

Animalia

Phylum:

Chordata

Class:

Mammalia

Order:

Primates

Family:

Cercopithecidae

Genus:

Trachypithecus

Species group:

T. vetulus

Species:

T. johnii

 

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