Sri Lanka Grey Langur (Semnopithecus Priam Thersites)

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Sinhalese: Vandhura, Konda-Vandhura or Elli-Vandhura

Tamil: Mundi, Mundi-Kukurangu

Description: The average adult male’s length of head and body is about 70 cm and his weight is approximately 15 kgs. The adult female is considerably smaller being about 55 cm in length and approximately 7 kgs in weight. They have long tails, no cheek-pouches, and are light grey in color.

Distribution: Found in the jungle areas of the low country dry zone.

Habits: These monkeys live in family troops of both sexes of anything from 6 to 30 members. One of the old males will usually be the dominant figure, the rest holding their position in the hierarchy of the group. They spend as much time on the ground as in the trees, playing, grooming, resting and feeding. Their food consists of fruits, flowers, leaves and seeds and their main enemy is the leopard. In captivity they have been known to live for 10 years, but normally it is 7 to 8 years.

Breeding: The gestation period is about 6 months and normally one young is born, occasionally two. Until the baby is about 4 months it clings to the fur of the mother’s breast and goes everywhere with her.

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