Lion-tailed Macaque

Why in News?

A 40-year study in the Anamalai Hills found that lion-tailed macaques increased near human areas due to easy access to food but faced higher mortality risks.

• Scientific name – Macaca Silenus.
• Genus – Macaca.
• Habitat – Tropical evergreen, semi-evergreen rainforests & monsoon forests.
• Distribution – Endemic to the Western Ghats, being found only in Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
• Key Locations – Anamalai Hills, Nelliyampathy, Silent Valley National Park (largest population), Nilambur, Sholayar, Gavi, Sabarimala, Vallimalai, Valparai, and Agumbe.
• Appearance – Black body, silver-white mane (lion-like), long tail with tuft.
• Reproduction – Low birth rate, long gestation.
• Behaviour – It is Arboreal (lives in tree canopies) and Diurnal (active during the day).
• It is a social animal, living in groups of 30-40 animals.
• It is polygynous (Mating system or marriage practice where one male mates with or marries multiple females simultaneously) in nature. 
• Uniqueness – The only macaque species in which males use loud calls to mark territorial boundaries.
• Diet – Omnivorous with a fruit-based diet; also feeds on seeds, flowers, insects, and small vertebrates. 
• Threats –
  • Fragmentation – Habitat loss due to plantations, roads, and dams.
  • Poaching – Illegal hunting and pet trade.
  • Conflict – Human–wildlife interaction in fragmented forests.
• Conservation status –
  • IUCN Status – Endangered (as of IUCN Redlist 2023)
  • CITES – Appendix I.
  • Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 – Schedule I.
• Ecological significance – Key seed disperser that sustains forest regeneration and ecosystem stability in Western Ghats.

Reference

TH | Lion-tailed Macaque