Indian langurs
| Indian langurs | ||||||||||||
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Bengali Hanuman langur ( S. entellus ), the most common species of langur |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Semnopithecus | ||||||||||||
| Desmarest , 1822 |
The Indian langurs ( Semnopithecus ) are a genus of primate from the group of slender monkeys within the family of the vervet monkeys (Cercopithecidae). They are divided into two sub-genera, Semnopithecus with six species, in German called Hanuman langurs , Hulmane or gray langurs , and the violet-faced langurs ( Kasi ) with two species, in southern India and Sri Lanka. Hanuman langurs, as cultural followers and sacred animals, are among the most famous monkey species in India. They are named after Hanuman , an Indian god in monkey form.
distribution
The distribution area of the Indian langurs is the Indian subcontinent , it ranges from Pakistan to India , Sri Lanka and the southern Himalayan region to Bangladesh .
description
Hanuman langurs are rather large, slender animals. Their fur is colored gray on the upper side, the underside is whitish or orange-yellow. The black or purple face is hairless and has pronounced bulges above the eyes. It is surrounded by a whitish fringe of hair. These animals reach a head trunk length of 40 to 78 centimeters; the tail is longer than the body and can be up to 110 centimeters long. With a weight of up to 23 kilograms, they form the heaviest species of langur .
Way of life
Hanuman langurs are found in numerous habitats, both in semi-deserts and grasslands, tropical rainforests and mountains up to an altitude of 4000 meters. They are also a common sight in many cities and temples. Of all the slender monkeys, these animals are the ones most adapted to the soil life. They are skilled at climbing trees. They can jump distances of ten meters, using the long tail for balance. On the ground they move on all fours. They are diurnal animals, the focus of their activity is in the early morning and afternoon. Like other leaf eaters, they compensate for the low nutritional value of their food by taking long breaks, for example by taking a long nap.
Indian langurs live in groups. The most common form is the harem or one-man group, in which a single male, several females and their young live together. There are also mixed groups with around twice as many females as males.
The group form depends in part on the population density in the area concerned. Smaller harem groups are more common in more densely populated areas, and larger mixed groups in sparsely populated areas.
A third form, which occurs independently of the others, are the pure male groups, i.e. males who had to leave their birth group when they reached sexual maturity. Such groups of males include animals of all ages, some spend their entire lives in them. In each group form, the males establish a strict hierarchy. An average of 13 to 40 animals live per group. Reports on groups of 100 animals and more are more likely to describe associations of several groups.
Harem groups are led and directed by the alpha male, and on average the harem leader changes every two years. Groups of males roam the territories of the harem groups and try to drive away the alpha animal. If this succeeds, the highest-ranking male of the bachelor group takes over the leadership role with the females.
In this case, infanticide often occurs : the new male kills all still suckled young animals that his predecessor fathered; Young animals that have already been weaned must suddenly leave the group. Since the male does not have too much time before he is ousted from the harem head again, he has to produce offspring quickly. The point of infanticide is that the females, as soon as they are no longer nursing a child, become ready for conception much more quickly; this is how the new alpha male increases his chances of having his own offspring.
Harem groups usually meet each other peacefully, bachelor groups are often suspiciously eyed and chased away by others, probably due to the fear of competition from the males. They live in a fixed area, the size of which depends on the habitat and group shape and can be up to 20 km 2 .
Indian langurs are known to use a number of sounds to communicate with, including a dull scream to bring the group together and a warning scream of predators. Mutual grooming also plays an important role within the group, is called grooming and promotes social behavior.
food
Indian langurs are pure herbivores. The main component of their diet is made up of leaves, but they also consume fruits, flowers and seeds. In close proximity to humans, they often help themselves in grain fields.
Your stomach is divided into four chambers in order to be able to break down the hard-to-digest cellulose; special bacteria in the stomach help break down the components of food. Their stomachs resemble those of ruminants , a fine example of convergent evolution .
Reproduction
The female gives birth to a young about every two years, twin births are rare. Most young animals are born between January and March; In the high mountains, the preferred time of birth shifts to April to June due to the longer winter. The gestation period is around 200 days.
Newborn animals have a black-brown fur and initially cling to the mother's fur. When the baby has grown, the other females in the group will often take care of it so the mother can look for food in peace.
The young animal is weaned after around ten to twelve months. Males then leave the group, while females usually stay in their birth group. Females reach sexual maturity at three to four years and males at six to seven years. Life expectancy in the wild is around 20 years, in human care up to 25 years.
Hanuman langurs and humans
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According to Hindu mythology, the Hanuman langurs embodies the monkey god Hanuman , who is one of the most popular Hindu gods today. The epic Ramayana describes how the monkey king Sugriva sends an army of monkeys under the leadership of his minister Hanuman to help prince Rama to save his wife Sita from the clutches of the demon king Ravana . Legend has it that the black face of the Hanuman langurs goes back to the fact that Hanuman put his burning tail in his mouth after setting fire to Ravana's capital, Lanka. The scientific name Semnopithecus is derived from the ancient Greek σεμνός semnós "venerable, honorable, dignified" and πίθηκος píthēkos "monkey". Three species of Hanuman langurs were named after figures from the Iliad , Semnopithecus ajax , S. hector and S. priam .
Many species of Hanuman langurs have become used to being close to humans and are found near human settlements. Animals that live far away from humans are now increasingly threatened by the loss of their habitat, forests are cleared and grasslands are converted into arable land and pastures.
Systematics
The Indian langurs belong systematically to the group of the slender monkeys within the family of the monkey relatives (Cercopithecidae). In the past, all gray Hanuman langurs were grouped into a single species, today they are divided into six species, but this division is not yet generally recognized.
The species of Indian langurs can be divided into three groups, the gray Hanuman langurs in a northern group in which the animals have their tails raised and bent forward when walking on all fours, and a southern group, which then has an S-shaped tail curved carry There are also two other species, which are often placed in a subgenus Kasi , which seems to mediate between the Hanuman langurs and the crested langurs. Morphological reasons speak more in favor of belonging to the crested langurs, genetic reasons clearly in favor of an assignment to the Indian langurs.
Subgenus Hanuman langurs ( Semnopithecus )
- northern group
- The Kashmir Hanuman Langur ( Semnopithecus ajax ) inhabits a small area in Himachal Pradesh and is considered " critically endangered ".
- The Bengali Hanuman langur ( S. entellus ) is also widespread and is found in eastern India and Bangladesh.
- The Tarai Hanuman Langur ( S. hector ) lives in a small area at the foot of the Himalayas and is listed by the IUCN as “endangered”.
- The Nepalese Hanuman Langur ( S. schistaceus ) lives on the southern slopes of the Himalayas in Nepal, India, Bhutan and southeastern Tibet.
- southern group
- The black-footed Hanuman langur ( S. hypoleucos ) is common in southwest India.
- The southern Hanuman langur ( S. priam ) lives in southern India and Sri Lanka.
Subgenus violet-faced langurs ( Kasi )
- The Nilgiri langur ( S. johnii ) occurs in southern India, mainly in the area of the Western Ghats .
- The whiskered langur ( S. vetulus ) is endemic to Sri Lanka with four subspecies.
literature
- Thomas Geissmann : Comparative Primatology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin et al. 2003, ISBN 3-540-43645-6 .
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
- Don E. Wilson, DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .
- D. Zinner, GH Fickenscher & C. Roos: Family Cercopithecidae (Old World monkeys). Pages 714-753 in Russell A. Mittermeier , Anthony B. Rylands & Don E. Wilson : Handbook of the Mammals of the World - Volume 3: Primates. Lynx Edition, 2013, ISBN 978-8496553897 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ István Keul: Hanumān, the god in monkey form. Development and manifestations of his veneration, Berlin, New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2002.
- ↑ Philip Lutgendorf: Hanuman's Tale. The Messages of a Divine Monkey, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007, p. 57.
- ^ Zinner, Fickenscher & C. Roos (2013), pages 733-737.
- ^ Zinner, Fickenscher & C. Roos (2013), p. 561.
- ^ Martin Osterholz, Lutz Walter & Christian Roos: Phylogenetic position of the langur genera Semnopithecus and Trachypithecus among Asian colobines, and genus affiliations of their species groups. BMC Evolutionary Biology 2008, 8:58 doi: 10.1186 / 1471-2148-8-58
