Miller's langur

Miller's langur
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Family: Cercopithecidae
Genus: Presbytis
Species:
P. canicrus
Binomial name
Presbytis canicrus
Miller, 1934
Range shown in light green (i.e., for P. h. canicrus)

Miller's langur (Presbytis canicrus), also known as Miller's grizzled langur or Kutai grey langur, is a species of leaf monkey. It is endemic to East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo in Indonesia. It is one of the world's most endangered primates, and was at one time thought to be extinct, until it was rediscovered in 2012.

Taxonomy[edit]

Miller's langur is a leaf monkey within the family Cercopithecidae and subfamily Colobinae.[2] It was formerly considered a subspecies of Hose's langur, Presbytis hosei (as Presbytis hosei canicrus).[3][2][4][5] It was split from P. hosei on the basis of different morphology by primatologists Colin Groves and Christian Roos.[3][6]

Distribution and habitat[edit]

Miller's langur is native to the island of Borneo in the province of East Kalimantan in Indonesia.[1] It lives in dipterocarp rainforests up to an elevation of about 1,000 metres (3,300 ft).[6]

Description[edit]

Miller's langur ranges from 48 centimetres (19 in) to 56 centimetres (22 in) long excluding tail and has a tail length ranging from 65 centimetres (26 in) to 84 centimetres (33 in).[4] Males weigh from 6 kilograms (13 lb) to 7 kilograms (15 lb) while females weight between 5.5 kilograms (12 lb) and 6 kilograms (13 lb).[4] The fur on its back is gray with a grizzly appearance, and the fur on its belly is whitish.[4] The upper part of its face is black while the lower part of its face is whitish, with the whitish part forming a U shape below the nose.[4][7] It has a brown crown at the top of its head.[4] Infants are white with a black cross on their backs.[6]

Habits[edit]

A majority of Miller's langur's diet comes from young leaves and leaf shoots, and their next most important food item is unripe fruit.[4] It also consumes other items such as eggs, seeds and flowers.[4] It typically lives in groups ranging from 5 to 12 animals including a single adult male, with an average group size of 8 monkeys.[4][6] Non-group males are solitary.[4] It is sympatric with two other leaf monkeys from the genus Presbytis, the maroon leaf monkey and the white-fronted surili.[6] It is known to utilize salt licks along with sympatric maroon leaf monkeys.[7] It is arboreal and diurnal, and spends a majority of its time in the mid to upper canopy of the forest.[4]

Conservation status[edit]

Miller's langur is listed as endangered by the IUCN due primarily to habitat loss, fragmentation and hunting.[1] It is one of the rarest primates in Borneo. With little information available, it was thought to be extinct several times.[8] In 2012, a team of international scientists rediscovered it in Wehea Forest in East Kalimantan, Borneo, disproving its extinction.[8][9] Wehea Forest is outside Miller's langur's previously known range, which was primarily Kutai National Park to the south of Wehea.[9][7] The scientists used mineral licks and cameras to show that the species still exists, and had difficulty identifying it from the photos since so few photos previously existed.[9] Limited to a geographical range from the central coast of East Kalimantan to the Kutai National Park, the species is highly regarded as an endemic and extremely vulnerable primate. Experts speculate it becoming extinct in the very near future, due to multiple factors such as deforestation and overhunting for its bezoar stones and as a food source.[10] The bezoar stones, which are smooth, hard mineral deposits found in the digestive tracts of some animals, are used as good luck charms, and also for its alleged ability to neutralize some poisons, but only occur in a minority of the monkeys.[7] Although Miller's langur is protected under Indonesian law, the legal protections may be ineffective because it is listed under a defunct scientific name, P. aygula.[4]

In October of 2019, Forrest Galante led an expedition and recorded the first video evidence of a Miller's langur in the 21st century.[11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Cheyne, S.; Setiawan, A.; Traeholt, C. (2021). "Presbytis canicrus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T39808A200247353. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T39808A200247353.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Presbytis canicrus Miller, 1934". ITIS. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Presbytis canicrus". American Society of Mammalogists. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Nijman, Vincent (2016). Rowe, Noel; Myers, Marc (eds.). All the World's Primates. Pogonias Press. pp. 556–557. ISBN 9781940496061.
  5. ^ Groves, C. P. (2005). "Order Primates". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 171. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  6. ^ a b c d e Groves, Colin; Roos, Christian (2013). Mittermeier Russell A.; Rylands, Anthony B.; Wilson, Don E. (eds.). Handbook of Mammals of the World: Volume 3. pp. 716–717. ISBN 978-8496553897.
  7. ^ a b c d Phillipps, Quentin; Phillipps, Karen (2016). Phillipps' Field Guide to the Mammals of Borneo. Princeton University Press. pp. 164–165. ISBN 9780691169415.
  8. ^ a b "Rare Miller's Grizzled Langur Rediscovered in Borneo" 23 January 2012 ScienceDaily Retrieved 26 October 2012
  9. ^ a b c "'Extinct' monkey still lives in Borneo" 20 January 2012 CBC.ca
  10. ^ Lhota, S.; Loken, B.; Spehar, S.; Fell, E.; Pospěch, A.; Kasyanto, N. (2012). "Discovery of Miller's Grizzled Langur (Presbytis hosei canicrus) in Wehea Forest Confirms the Continued Existence and Extends Known Geographical Range of an Endangered Primate". American Journal of Primatology. 74 (3): 193–198. doi:10.1002/ajp.21983. PMID 24006537. S2CID 19947558.
  11. ^ Sarner, Lauren (29 October 2019). "'Extinct or Alive' host Forrest Galante discovers rare monkey". New York Post. Retrieved 4 October 2023.

External links[edit]

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