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Trachypithecus vetulus
We saw this very lovely looking monkey on the way back to our hotel after a trek across Horton Plains to see the view from 'worlds end' and Bakers falls. these are one of 25 most endangered primates in the world this is mainly due to rapid urbanization. it is one of the 'old world monkeys' and is identified by a mostly brown appearance, dark face (with paler lower face) and is of a very shy nature.
This species is endemic to Sri Lanka The purple-faced langur is found in closed canopy forests in mountains and the southwestern part of the country, known as the "wet zone". Only 19% of Sri Lanka consists of forested areas. This habitat has decreased from 80% in 1980 to ~25% in 2001. Currently this range has decreased to below 3%. The range consists of the most densely populated lowland rainforest areas of Sri Lanka. Deforestation has resulted in the langurs home ranges to be exposed to direct sunlight. Purple-faced langurs are most often found in small and widely scattered groups. (sourced from Wikipedia)
Spotted on Aug 14, 2011
Submitted on Feb 24, 2013
2 Comments
Thankyou Nuwan, they moved about so much it was hard to get a good shot which is why there is only the one photo.
great spotting!