Purple-Faced Leaf Monkey (Tachypithecus Vetulus)

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Sinhalese: Kalu-Vandhura

Tamil: Mundi

Description: There are four races of this monkey, each differing slightly in color and size. Three of them, the low country races, have a white rump patch (2nd picture) and the fourth, the highland race, or Bear Monkey, has no such patch (1st picture). All have long dark grey fur and white whiskers. The bear monkey’s fur being longer and very thick.

Distribution: Found in the wet zone forests of the lowlands and hills. One of the races extends into the dry zone as far east as the Mahaweli Ganga and north to about kokkilai. This is an endemic species.

Habits: these monkeys are gregarious, living in family troops of anything up to 40 members, where there is always a dominant male. Most of their time is spent in the tree-tops, rarely descending to the ground. Here they find all their food. leaves, flowers and seeds. They are far more nervous than the grey langur and probably live for about 8 to 9 years.

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

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