Lion-Tailed Macaque
(Macaca silenus)
Habitat
Dense primary tropical forests
Length
Body length: 20-24 inches
(46-61 cm)
Weight
Males 20-25 pounds (9-11 kg);
females
15-18 pounds (7-8 kg)
Life
Span
Up to 20 years in the wild; macaques may live 30 or more years in zoos
Diet
In the wild: Macaques
feed on fruit, leaves, bark, roots, insects, eggs, bird nestlings,
tree frogs and lizards.
At
the zoo: Monkey chow, fruits, vegetables, nuts, crickets,
mealworms, seeds and grains.
Reproduction
Females reach sexual maturity around 5 years
of age; males usually about 8 years of age. Gestation period is 165 days.
Lion-tailed macaques mate and give birth at any time of the year. When
a female is ready to mate, an area under her tail swells and she may
initiate calling to attract males. Females usually give birth to one
infant at a time which is carried on the abdomen.
Life Cycle
Infants have soft, black natal coats that are
replaced with adult textured coats after about two months. Macaques
live in troops comprising of 10-20 members, ruled by a dominant male.
Females usually remain in the same troop with their mothers. Male macaques,
however, tend to leave their natal group at adolescence to live in
all-male groups or in small female groups for varying periods of time.
Throughout the day, lion-tails forage in trees. At night, they sleep
high in the forest canopy, hiding among the branches.
Little
Lions in the Trees
Lion-tailed macaques are known for their lion-like manes and tails. They have
black, silky fur, long, gray hairs around the face and a small tuft of fur
at the end of the tail. These monkeys use 17 different vocal patterns to communicate.
They also communicate with body language, such as yawning with a grimace to
indicate dominance or a threat, and smacking their lips to greet one another.
Although they spend most of their time in trees, lion-tailed macaques come
down to the ground to play or splash in water. Lion-tailed macaques are territorial;
when leaders from two different troops give a loud whooping call (which is
said to sound like a human voice), one of the groups moves away.
Catch Me if You Can
Lion-tailed macaques are reluctant
to travel through open gaps in the forest for fear of predators. When
gathering food, however, they are required to leave the safety of their
home in the treetops and forage through all levels of the forest. Lion-tailed
macaques and other members of the macaque and baboon family have developed
an ingenious way to limit the amount of time needed to gather food.
The monkeys have cheek pouches that open beside the lower teeth and
extend down the side of the neck. When fully extended, these pouches
can store an equivalent to their stomach's capacity. They gather food
quickly with their hands and promptly stuff it in their pouches. When
their
pouches are full, they retreat to the safety of the forest's
upper canopy and eat. Being able to gather and store large quantities
of food per outing limits the amount of time that macaques are exposed
to predators.
Location
at the Zoo
Visitors
can view the zoo's lion-tailed macaques
at the Trail of Vines exhibit in the Tropical Asia bioclimatic zone.
Visitors will immediately notice the complex system of arboreal pathways
provided by dead and living trees and other vegetation. Positioned
at various angles, these trees provide a physically complex environment
that enables the lion-tailed macaques to travel at multiple levels,
much as they would in their natural setting.
Conservation
Connection
Lion-tailed
macaques are a highly endangered species. Once abundant throughout
India's mature evergreen forests,
there may be fewer that 2,000 of these monkeys left in the wild.
Overpopulation, habitat destruction, fragmentation and other human
activities have forced these animals to live in small, isolated pockets
of forest separated by cultivation and open areas. As a result, inbreeding
is occurring, which limits the gene pool and creates weaker populations
with smaller numbers. Lion-tailed macaques are sometimes hunted for
their meat and, occasionally, as a source of medicine.
Native people believe that some of these fragmented
forest areas are sacred groves, referred to as sholas. It is believed
that sholas are each guarded by a different god, so native people
protect sholas from any disturbance. The sacred status of sholas
is helping to protect and preserve forests and animals that might
otherwise be destroyed.
Woodland
Park Zoo has been a world leader in the captive breeding of macaques.
To date, more than 50 lion-tails have been born at the zoo, most
going to other zoos as far away as England, France, Australia, Israel,
Japan and China to breed new generations of macaques. The Association of Zoos & Aquariums' (AZA)
Species Survival Plan (SSP) for lion-tailed macaques which ensures
the genetic viability of this species in North America is managed
through the Woodland Park Zoo. The International Studbook, a worldwide
registry of the captive population of lion-tailed macaques, is also
maintained through the zoo.
How You Can Help!
You can help to save endangered species and their habitats.
Join and become active in Woodland Park Zoo and other conservation
organizations of your choice. Please do not buy products made from
wild animal parts.
Contact
Woodland Park Zoo webkeeper@zoo.org to find out
about ways you can support conservation programs at the zoo. Learn
other ways you can help conserve wildlife and the habitats they require
for survival by visiting our How You Can Help page.
Sources and Suggested
Reading
Burton, Francis. 1995. The Multimedia Guide
to the Non-Human Primates. Prentice Hall Canada, Inc., Scarborough,
Ontario. 168 p.
For Kids!
Zoobooks. 1994. Old World Monkeys. Wildlife Education, Ltd., San Diego,
CA. 18 p.