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| The pic was taken during early morning Safari through Nagarhole Nationalpark |
Some Facts
Langurs can reach 17 to 31 inches in height and 11 to 40 pounds in weight. Their tail can be up to 42 inches long. Males are larger than females.
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Body of the langur is covered with long fur that can be silver, grey, brown, golden, red or black. Color of the fur provides a camouflage and it depends on their environment.
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Langurs are also known as "leaf-eating monkeys" because they feed mostly on the leaves. Other than leaves, they also eat fruit, shoots, roots, seeds, flowers, grass.
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Since langur diet consists of plants only, their intestines are home to different types of bacteria that help in digestion of plant material.
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Plant diet does not provide a lot of energy which is the reason why langurs are not as active as other monkeys.
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Langurs do not drink a lot of water. They absorb water from the food they eat or drink dew and rain collected on the leaves.
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Langurs have excellent eyesight and sense of hearing which help them avoid the predators.
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Langurs spend one part of their life in the trees, and other on the ground. They can easily jump from one branch to another, or hang from the branch using prehensile tail. They walk quadrupedally (using their front and hind limbs) on the ground.
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Langurs are active during the day. They spend the night hidden high in the treetops, along with other members of the group, to avoid predators.
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Langurs live in smaller or bigger groups called "troops". They usually consist of one male, few females and their offspring. Some troops consist of several males and females of various ages, or only of male members.
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Dominance in the group is accomplished through aggressive behavior and fight between males. Fight between different troops is a common phenomenon.
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Langurs communicate using wide variety of sounds: harsh and cough barks, rumble screams, grunts, honks, rumbles and hiccups.
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The most dominant male in the troop has opportunity to mate with females. Pregnancy in females lasts around seven months. Female usually gives birth to a single baby every two years.
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Babies are tightly associated with their mothers during the first 13 to 20 months of their life. Males will leave the troop after that period to join some other troop.
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Lifespan of a langur is around 20 years in the wild.
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