Toque Monkey (Macaca Sinica)

-


Sinhalese: Rilawa

Tamil: Kurangu

Description: There are three races of this specie each differing slightly in color, the mountain race having longer and thicker fur. The adult male is larger than the female being about 52 cm in the length of body and head, the female being about 41 cm, and both sexes have large cheek pouches. Very large males can weight up to about 7 Kgs.

Distribution: Found in jungle areas throughout the island. This species is endemic to Sri Lanka.

Habits: this monkey is gregarious, living in family troops of 20 or more, each group having its own territory. Of the two low country races, much of their time is spent on the ground grooming, playing and feeding, but the mountain race appears to be more arboreal. They are mainly diurnal and their food consists of fruits, seeds, flowers, leaves, insects, lizards and the eggs and young of small birds. Their cheek pouches are often put to good use, and when the need arises, they can stuff in an amazing amount of food at high speed. In captivity they have been known to live for 25-30 years.

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

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sri Lanka Python (Python Molurus Pimbura)

-
Image
Sinhalese: Dhara Pimbura, Ran Pimbura, Pimbura Tamil: Periya Pambu, Malai Pambu, Kaloodai Viriyan. Description: A huge snake which can grow to 8 meters, but usually average about 5.5 meters. Pythons have teeth, a very sensitive tongue, and jaws which can separate to enable them to swallow large prey. Distribution: Found in the jungles of the low country; occasionally in the lower hills hills and often near water. Habits: The python is diurnal, nocturnal and solitary. They swim well, can climb trees and are not venomous. Their food consists of small to medium sized animals which they catch using their teeth, kill by constriction and swallow whole once once the prey is dead. If the meal is substantial the python does not need to feed again for 4 or more months. They have good sight over short distances, are deaf, but can feel vibrations through the ground. Their extremely sensitive tongues can sense loud noises and convey smells to the scent organ in the roof of t
Read more

Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper – Black gram Syn. Phaseolus mungo L.

-
Image
Taxonomic classification           Kingdom: Plantae             Division: Magnoliophyta             Class: Magnoliopsida             Subclass: Asteridae             Order: Solanales             Family: Leguminosae             Genus: Vigna             Species: V.mungo V.mungo is one of the most highly-priced pulses of India, especially in the vegetarian diet. It is a diffusely branched, herbaceous annual with reddish brown hairs.     Various cultivars are recognized 1. Early-maturing cultivars, which have larger, black seeds 2. Late-maturing cultivars, which have smaller, olive-green seeds   Morphological characters     Stem: This is a diffusely branched, erect or sub-erect plant. The height ranges from 20-80cm. Leaves: The leaf is trifoliate with a long petiole. The stipules are ovate.   Flowers: The inflorescence is borne axillary and may have 2-3 branches. Five to six flowers are clustered at the top of the short hairy peduncle. The
Read more

Slender Loris (Loris Tardigradus)

-
Image
Sinhalese: Unahapuluwa Tamil: Thewangu Description: There are 4 races of the slender loris, each differing slightly in color and size. In two of the races, the female is larger than the male, and in the other two the sexes are similar in size. They range from about 18.5 cm to 25.5 cm and their fur is soft and wooly. Distribution: Found throughout the island in forests and jungles, but no-where common. Habits: The slender Loris is entirely nocturnal, and lives in pairs or singly. It spends the day curled up in a hollow branch or amongst the foliage. Their movements are slow and stealthy, and their food consists of small birds, insects, lizards, tree frogs etc. and occasionally fruit, but they never eat small mammals. Breeding: Very little is known. The gestation period is said to be at least 3 months, probably more and usually one young is born, sometimes two. They go everywhere with the mother clinging to the fur of her abdomen.
Read more