The Tarai gray langur (''Semnopithecus hector'') is an

Old World monkey Old World monkeys are primates in the family Cercopithecidae (). Twenty-four genera and 138 species are recognized, making it the largest primate family. Old World monkey genera include baboons (genus '' Papio''), red colobus (genus '' Piliocolob ...

, and was formerly considered a subspecies of the

northern plains gray langur The northern plains gray langur (''Semnopithecus entellus''), also known as the sacred langur, Bengal sacred langur and Hanuman langur, is a species of primate in the family Cercopithecidae. Taxonomy The northern plains gray langur belongs to th ...

. The species is listed as

near threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been Conservation status, categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as that may be vulnerable to Endangered species, endangerment in the ne ...

, as there are probably not many more than 10,000 mature individuals, and it is experiencing a continuing decline.

Habitat and behaviour

The Tarai gray langur is native to northern

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...

, and

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

, and inhabits the

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than 100 pea ...

n foothills from Rajaji National Park to southwestern Bhutan. It also lives in the moist deciduous forest of the

Siwalik Hills The Sivalik Hills, also known as Churia Hills, are a mountain range of the outer Himalayas. The literal translation of "Sivalik" is 'tresses of Shiva'. The hills are known for their numerous fossils, and are also home to the Soanian Middle Pale ...

to oak forest ranging from altitudes of . It is a diurnal species which lives arboreally in the top canopy of

sal tree ''Shorea robusta'', the sal tree, sāla, shala, sakhua, or sarai, is a species of tree in the family Dipterocarpaceae. The tree is native to India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Tibet and across the Himalayan regions. Evolution Fossil evidence from lign ...

forests in India and Nepal. The species' population is fragmented, with a 2003 report estimating that there were at most fifty separate subpopulations. The monkeys are leaf-eaters who live in groups with multiple males and females. Groups have been observed feeding in orchards and crop fields outside of Rajaji National Park.

Conservation

The Tarai gray langur is

, and the monkeys are threatened by human industrial activity (such as mining and logging) as well as human resettlement. While fortunately they are not

traded Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of credi ...

, their population is still in decline. They have a

generation time In population biology and demography Demography () is the statistical study of human populations: their size, composition (e.g., ethnic group, age), and how they change through the interplay of fertility (births), mortality (deaths), and mi ...

of twelve years.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1206256 Tarai gray langur Mammals of Bhutan Mammals of India Mammals of Nepal Monkeys in India Fauna of Sikkim Near threatened animals Near threatened biota of Asia Tarai gray langur Taxa named by R. I. Pocock