Lion Tailed Macaque

Why in News?

Recently, the researchers from Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) said that human interactions threaten endangered lion-tailed macaque.

• Lion-Tailed Macaque – It is one of the smaller macaque species and an Old-World monkey.
  • Scientific name – Maraca Soleus.
  • Genus Maraca – known for its adaptability to human-altered environments.
• Habitat – Evergreen, semi-evergreen rainforests & monsoon forests.
• Distribution – Found only in India in the Western Ghats.
• Distribution in Western Ghats – Anamalai Hills, Nelliyampathy, Nilambur Ghats, Sholayar, Gavi, Sabarimala, Vallimalai Hills, Valparai and Agumbe.

• Morphology – Its body is covered with black fur and tail is long, thin, and naked, with a tuft of black puffy hair at the tip.
• Both males and females have a grayish lion-like mane of fur that surrounds the face and the face itself is bare and black.

• Behavior – It is arboreal (pertaining to trees) and diurnal.
• It is a social animal, living in groups of 30-40 animals.
• It is polygynous, having more than 1 wife or female mate at a time.
• Uniqueness – They are the only macaques in which males use loud call to let entering troops know their territorial boundaries.
• Threats – With only about 4,200 individuals remaining, they face severe risks due to food provisioning, which leads to malnutrition, and disease.
• The long-term consequences of increased human interaction include
  • Increased exposure to zoonotic diseases and diet-related illnesses
  • Behavioural changes like reduced foraging in natural habitats and increased reliance on human-provided food
  • Rise in injuries, roadkill incidents, and stress-induced mortality

Approximately 25% of the macaque population in habitat areas engage in interactions with humans where hotspots like Valparai, Nelliyampathy, and Sabarimala have seen rising interactions, especially due heightened tourist and pilgrim footfall.

• Conservation status
  • IUCN Status – Endangered (as of IUCN Redlist 2023)
  • CITES – Appendix I.
  • Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 – Schedule I.

References

1. The Hindu| Human Interactions threaten to lion-tailed macaque
2. Animal Diversity Web| Lion-Tailed Macaque