Lion-tailed Macaque

26.12.2024

Lion-tailed Macaque

Why in the news?   

         A recent study warns of a growing threat to non-human primates like lion-tailed macaques due to increasing human wildlife interaction.

About Lion-tailed Macaque:

• It is an endangered primate species endemic to the evergreen rain forests in the Western-Ghats of India with its range passing through the three states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
• Also known as wanderoo, it is an Old World monkey.

○Old World monkeys are primates in the family Cercopithecidae. They include baboons, red colobus and macaques.

• It is an arboreal and diurnal creature, they sleep at night in trees (typically, high in the canopy of rainforest).
• It is a territorial and very communicative animal. One of the distinguishing features of this species is that males define the boundaries of their home ranges by calls.
• Overall, their communication system contains as many as 17 vocalisations.
• They are divided into two subpopulations by a gap of about 40 km in the mountains at Palghat in Kerala.
• It is omnivorous and feeds upon a wide variety of food, although fruits form the major part of their diet.
• The magnificent Lion-tailed macaque is named due to its lion-like, long, thin, and tufted tail. Also, they are characterised by the grey mane around their face.
• In the meantime, this animal is one of the smallest macaque species in the world.
• Conservation Status:

○IUCN: Endangered

○CITES: Appendix I

○The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972:Schedule I

• Threats: It is most threatened of the primates, endemic to the Western Ghats. Its population faces threats from habitat loss, fragmentation and human encroachment.

                                                                  Source:  The Hindu

With reference to Lion-tailed Macaque, consider the following:

1. It is an omnivorous and old-world monkey.

2. It is mainly found in the Western Ghats region of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

3. It is categorized as endangered species under the IUCN Red List.

How many of the above statements are correct?

A.Only one

B.Only two

C.All three

D.None

Answer B