Proboscis monkey
| Proboscis monkey | ||||||||||||
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Proboscis monkey ( Nasalis larvatus ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Nasalis | ||||||||||||
| É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire , 1812 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Nasalis larvatus | ||||||||||||
| ( Wurmb , 1787) |
The proboscis monkey ( Nasalis larvatus ) is a species of primate from the group of the slender monkey from the family of the vervet monkey relatives (Cercopithecidae).
distribution
The proboscis monkey is found exclusively on the island of Borneo , it inhabits the coastal regions and the lower-lying areas. There it lives mainly in peat bog forests and mangrove forests .
Appearance
The most striking feature of the proboscis monkeys is the large, pear-shaped nose, which only the males have. The fur of the proboscis monkey is yellowish-brown on the top and white on the underside, arms, legs and tail are gray. The hairless face is red. Proboscis monkeys reach a head trunk length of 66 to 75 cm, the tail becomes as long as the body. With a weight of 16 to 22 kg, males are twice as heavy as females (7 to 11 kg).
Way of life
Proboscis monkeys are diurnal forest inhabitants. They spend the night and morning resting, and they peak in the afternoon and evening.
They live in lower-lying rain and mangrove forests , never far from the water. They can swim very well and dive 20 m, thanks to their webbed toes, they often jump straight from the trees into the water. Proboscis monkeys are considered to be the best swimmers of all primates.
They live in groups of 5 to 30 animals, which can either be harem groups (one male and many females) or all-male groups. While females tend to stay with their birth group, young males leave the community when they reach sexual maturity. However, it sometimes happens that adult females break up with their partner and join another. Several groups often form associations to search for food and to sleep at night.
The exact use of the large noses in the males is uncertain; they may serve sexual attractiveness: the larger the nose, the better the chances for the females. It is also assumed that the sound can be amplified with the help of the nose and thus louder sounds can be achieved.
food
The food of the proboscis monkeys consists mainly of leaves and fruits, flowers are also consumed to a lesser extent.
Reproduction
The initiative for copulation comes from the female by puckered her lips, swinging her head back and forth or presenting her genital area to the male. Around 170 days after mating, a single young is usually born; in contrast to adults, newborns have a blue face. The mother nurses her child for around seven months, after which it remains in close contact with her for some time. Sexual maturity occurs at 5 to 7 years of age, later in males than in females. The breeding season is from February to November.
Proboscis monkeys and humans
The deforestation and slash and burn of the forests in favor of palm oil plantations is the main source of threat to the proboscis monkeys, and to a lesser extent hunting is added, although the species is protected. The Rainforest Rescue organization has started a petition to protect proboscis monkeys that are threatened by new palm oil plantations in Sarawak . The IUCN lists them as "high risk" ( endangered ). It was placed on Appendix I of the CITES list of the Washington Convention on Endangered Species . Proboscis monkeys are therefore classified as an directly threatened species whose trade is prohibited.
In some areas, the Malays call the proboscis monkey Orang Belanda ("Dutch").
Proboscis monkeys in zoological gardens of Europe
The keeping and breeding of proboscis monkeys in terms of reproduction and species conservation was largely inverse in Europe's zoological gardens. Numerous animals died because of the wrong food. The zoological gardens in Frankfurt (first European zoo breeding in 1967), Berlin, Cologne, Stuttgart and Basel reported few breeding successes. The last proboscis monkey kept in a European zoological garden lives in Apenheul ( Apeldoorn Monkey Park ). Its whereabouts are still being discussed, but it is likely that it will go back to its original zoo in Singapore, which breeds these rare animals successfully and regularly. In recent times, in particular, people have been thinking more and more about keeping proboscis monkeys, since the provision of leaf food and suitable habitats in the “zoos of the future” has become easier - or at least is easier to practice.
literature
- Lee E. Harding: Nasalis larvatus (Primates: Colobini) . In: Mammalian Species . tape 47 (962) , 2015, pp. 84-99 , doi : 10.1093 / mspecies / sev009 .
- Thomas Geissmann : Comparative Primatology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin et al. 2003, ISBN 3-540-43645-6 .
- Martin Kehr, Karl Heinz Reger, Albrecht G. Schaefer: Malaysia - Singapore, Brunei. Nelles Verlag, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-88618-797-3 ( Nelles Tour Guide ).
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
Web links
- Nasal larvatus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2006. Posted by: A. Eudey & Members of the Primate Specialist Group, 2000. Retrieved on 5 May, 2006.
- Pictures and videos at arkive.org