LANGURS
LANGURS, LUTUNGS, AND SURILIS
The Colobinae subfamily consist of seven genera with 55 species and over 40 subspecies.
The “langur, lutung, and surili” group includes the three genera below.
The other four, in the “odd nosed monkey” group, appear on their own genus pages.
They are douc langurs, pig-tailed langurs, proboscis monkeys, and snub-nosed monkeys.
GRAY LANGURS
Genus: Semnopithecus
8 Species
Semnopithecus hypoleucos
CONSERVATION STATUS: LEAST CONCERN
Black-footed gray langurs, also called dark-legged Malabar langurs and Malabar sacred langurs, are endemic to the Western Ghats, a mountain range on the southwestern coast of the Indian peninsula. They are found at altitudes ranging between 300 and 3,900 feet (100–1,200 m) in the patchy rainforests and…
Semnopithecus ajax
CONSERVATION STATUS: ENDANGERED
The Chamba Valley of Himachal Pradesh, a mountainous state of northwestern India situated in the Western Himalayas, is home to the Kashmir gray langur. Whether or not this leaf-eating monkey inhabits the region of Kashmir (one of the species’s namesakes) is uncertain. However, some wildlife biologists assert that Kashmir…
Semnopithecus schistaceus
CONSERVATION STATUS: LEAST CONCERN
The Nepal gray langur, also called the central Himalayan langur, lives (as the name implies) in the Himalayan region, from central Nepal to Tibet, into areas of Bhutan, India, and Pakistan. They are the northernmost population of gray langurs, and they are one of only a few colobine species to live in temperate regions as…
Semnopithecus johnii
CONSERVATION STATUS: VULNERABLE
The Nilgiri Langur is a monkey of many names. It is also known as the black leaf monkey, hooded leaf monkey, Indian hooded leaf monkey, John’s langur, Nilgiri black langur, and the Nilgiri leaf monkey. Its common name is after the Nilgiri mountains, which is a part of the Western Ghats mountain range in southwestern…
Semnopithecus entellus
CONSERVATION STATUS: LEAST CONCERN
The northern plains gray langur is one of eight species of gray langur and is also known as the Hanuman langur, Bengal langur, or sacred langur. They are found across a wide area of India, south of the Himalayas. Northern plains gray langurs are also found in Western Bangladesh, although this population is believed to have…
Semnopithecus vetulus
CONSERVATION STATUS: ENDANGERED
Purple-faced langurs, also known as purple-faced leaf monkeys, are endemic to Sri Lanka. In Sinhala, one of the official languages of Sri Lanka, they are known as “the black monkey of Sri Lanka.” Located near the southern tip of India, the tropical island of Sri Lanka is teeming in biodiversity. This is thanks in part to its varying…
Semnopithecus hector
CONSERVATION STATUS: NEAR THREATENED
The Tarai gray langur, also known as the Hanuman langur, lesser hill langur, and the Tarai sacred langur, is native to a small region in Bhutan, northern India, and Nepal, in the foothills of the Himalayan mountains and in the Siwalik Hills. They make their homes amongst the moist deciduous forests of the foothills and up into the oak…
Semnopithecus priam
CONSERVATION STATUS: NEAR THREATENED
Tufted gray langurs are endemic to the forests of southern India and Sri Lanka. The Western Ghats are a unique region of mountainous forests on the west coast of south India. This ecoregion has a range of forest types from dry deciduous to tropical. Most of the Indian gray tufted langurs live in these forests and form large…
LUTUNGS
Genus: Trachypithecus
20 Species
Trachypithecus margarita
CONSERVATION STATUS: ENDANGERED
The Annamese langur, also known as the Elliot’s silvery langur, is found in eastern Cambodia within the provinces of Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri, southern Laos, and south-central Vietnam. They are the most scarce monkey species in Laos, while their largest populations are found in Cambodia. Within their range, they are…
Trachypithecus pileatus
CONSERVATION STATUS: VULNERABLE
The capped langur is found in Bhutan, northeast India, Bangladesh, western Myanmar, and possibly China. They live in subtropical and montane forests rich in vegetation and freshwater streams. The region is characterized by steady moderate temperature and heavy rainfall during the summer months. There are four capped…
Trachypithecus poliocephalus
CONSERVATION STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
The Cat Ba langur, also called the Cat Ba hooded black leaf monkey, golden-headed langur, and the Tonkin hooded black langur, is endemic to Cat Ba Island off the northeastern coast of Vietnam. A species is “endemic” when it is native to a particular area and does not live naturally anywhere else in the world. Cat Ba…
Trachypithecus delacouri
CONSERVATION STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
The Delacour’s langur is a critically endangered monkey species native to Vietnam and found in the north central parts of the country. With a geographic range spanning about 1,931 square miles (5,000 km^2) of area, the Delacour langur, locally known as “vooc mong trang”, lives among various limestone karst…
Trachypithecus obscurus
CONSERVATION STATUS: ENDANGERED
Tucked away in the forest canopies of Southeast Asia lives the dusky langur, also known as the dusky leaf monkey, spectacled langur, and spectacled leaf monkey or lutung. This highly adaptive species is spread throughout various areas across the Malay Peninsula. Located in the Andaman Sea of the Indian Ocean, their territory…
Trachypithecus francoisi
CONSERVATION STATUS: ENDANGERED
Francois’s langurs, also known as the Tonkin langur and the Tonkin leaf monkey, live in the forests that grow along the steep ledges of limestone mountains, known as karst, which are a signature of the landscape of northern Vietnam and southern China. Historically, their distribution spanned across Vietnam’s northeastern…
Trachypithecus geei
CONSERVATION STATUS: ENDANGERED
Gee’s golden langurs, also known as golden leaf monkeys, or more simply as golden langurs, live in northeastern India and southern Bhutan. They are confined to this geographic region by the Manas and Sankosh rivers to the east and west, the Brahmaputra river in the south, and the Black Mountains to the north. Here…
Trachypithecus hatinhensis
CONSERVATION STATUS: ENDANGERED
The Hatinh langur is endemic to Vietnam—a Southeast Asian country about the same size as New Mexico—and to the People’s Democratic Republic of Laos. Although Hatinh langurs are not actually gibbons, locals often refer to them as long-tailed or black gibbons. These elusive creatures inhabit the dense Annamite…
Trachypithecus crepusculus
CONSERVATION STATUS: ENDANGERED
The Indochinese gray langur is a species of lutung found throughout mainland southeast Asia, the region formerly known as Indochina. Home countries include China, where the species occurs east of the Salween River extending to its western limit south of the autonomous prefecture of Xishuangbanna in southwestern…
Trachypithecus germaini
CONSERVATION STATUS: ENDANGERED
Also known as Germain’s langur, the Indochinese silvered langur is found in Eastern Asia, west of the Mekong river. They are distributed across a large part of Cambodia, as well as parts of Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar. This species inhabits a range of forested habitats, including lowland, semi-evergreen and…
Trachypithecus laotum
CONSERVATION STATUS: ENDANGERED
The Laotian langur, also called the Lao langur or Lao leaf monkey, is endemic to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). They are found in the Bolikhamxai and Khammouan provinces, in rugged terrain and dry rainforests. They live in several protected areas, including the Nam Kading National Protected Area, Nam Sanam…
Trachypithecus phayrei
CONSERVATION STATUS: ENDANGERED
Phayre’s leaf monkey, also known as Phayre’s langur, is an Old World monkey native to Southeast Asia. Its geographic distribution spans the countries of India (specifically, the northeastern states of Tripura, Mizoram, and Assam), Bangladesh, Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), China, Lao PDR (Laos), Thailand, and…
Trachypithecus popa
CONSERVATION STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
A Popa langur lives in the high evergreen forests of Myanmar, particularly the sacred pilgrimage site of Mount Popa (an extinct volcano), which gives the langur its common and scientific names. The main populations are found in Popa Mountain Park and Panlaung-Pyadalin Cave Wildlife Sanctuary. While they are mostly found…
CONSERVATION STATUS: NEAR THREATENED
The Selangor silvery langur is found along a strip on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. This strip includes portions of the states of Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, Melaka, Perak, and Kedah, and even the capital city of Kuala Lumpur! Within this range, they are found in riparian forests (forests next to a body of…
Trachypithecus cristatus
CONSERVATION STATUS: VULNERABLE
The silvery lutung, also known as the silvered leaf monkey or the silvered langur, is found in Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia. They may occur on Batam in the Riau Archipelago as well. Silvery lutungs prefer dense forests; however, their habitat varies depending on the region they inhabit. In the Malayan Peninsula, they live in…
Trachypithecus auratus
CONSERVATION STATUS: VULNERABLE
Spangled ebony langurs are Old World primates in the Colobine, or leaf-eating, family. They are endemic to isolated forest fragments of East Java, as well as the small islands of Bali, Lombok, Palau Sempu, and Nusa Barong. These volcanic islands are home to deciduous forests drenched by heavy downpours during the…
Trachypithecus mauritius
CONSERVATION STATUS: VULNERABLE
The West Javan ebony langur is a species of Old World monkey native to the island of Java, west of Jakarta. They are well at home in the lush forests of the island, occupying primary and secondary dry deciduous, mangrove, beach, freshwater, swamp, and hill forests. Until recently, West Javan ebony langurs were…
Trachypithecus leucocephalus
CONSERVATION STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Home to the white-headed black langur, or more simply known as the white-headed langur is the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR) of southern China, bordering Vietnam and the Gulf of Tonkin. Demarcating the species’s narrow geographic range is the Zuojiang River in the north and northwest; the Mingjiang…
SURILIS
Genus: Presbytis
20 Species
Presbytis melalophos
CONSERVATION STATUS: ENDANGERED
Black-crested Sumatran langurs (Presbytis melalophos), also called mitered leaf monkeys, yellow-handed mitered langurs, or Sumatran surilis, are tree-dwelling primates from southwestern Sumatra—Indonesia’s largest island. They can also be found on Pulau Pini, a small island in the Batu Archipelago off the northwestern…
Presbytis chrysomelas
CONSERVATION STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
The Bornean banded langur, also called the Sarawak surili or cross-marked langur, is native to the island of Borneo, which is split between Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia. They live in swamps, lowland forests, and among mangroves. Borneo is a hotspot for primates, home to a full 17 species. Langurs are the most widely…
Presbytis percura
CONSERVATION STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
East Sumatran banded langurs (or surilis) are only found in the Riau province of east Sumatra. The Rokan River marks the northern limit for the species. The southern limit has not been determined. They typically reside in mangrove forests and along riverbanks, however, with the high level of agricultural development in the Riau…
Presbytis hosei
CONSERVATION STATUS: VULNERABLE
The Hose’s langur is a small monkey endemic to subtropical and tropical dry forests of Borneo, the third-largest island in the world. The island is divided among three countries: Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Hose’s langurs are found in the biodiverse forests of Brunei, Sarawak and Saba (Malaysia), and Kalimantan…
Presbytis comata
CONSERVATION STATUS: ENDANGERED
The Javan surili, also known as the grizzled leaf monkey, Javan leaf monkey, or Javan grizzled langur, is native to the volcanic island of Java, one of four tropical islands that comprise Indonesia’s Greater Sunda Islands (the three others being Borneo, Sulawesi, and Sumatra). Found mostly in West Java, this leaf-eating…
Presbytis rubicunda
CONSERVATION STATUS: VULNERABLE
The Maroon leaf monkey is an arboreal primate that is found on the island of Borneo, as well as the smaller nearby island, Karimata. Within Borneo, they can be found in Danum Valley living at altitudes of 6,563 feet or less (2,000m). Borneo is an island that is shared by Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei. Maroon leaf monkeys…
Presbytis canicrus
CONSERVATION STATUS: ENDANGERED
The Miller’s grizzled langur (Presbytis canicrus), also known as Miller’s langur, Miller’s grizzled surili, Kutai gray langur, or even the “Dracula monkey”, is native to Indonesia. In fact, it is endemic to the island of Borneo, which means that it is found nowhere else in the world. Borneo is considered a biodiversity hotspot, as it is…
Presbytis natunae
CONSERVATION STATUS: VULNERABLE
The Natuna Island surili, or Natuna leaf monkey, lives on the Bunguran Island of the Natuna archipelago, some 140 miles (225 km) north of Borneo in South East Asia. The whole island is about 656 square miles (1,700 square km), which is about half the size of Rhode Island, the smallest state in the US. Limited distributions, like…
Presbytis femoralis
CONSERVATION STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
The Raffles’ banded langur is native to the southern tip of the Malaysia and the island nation of Singapore. Their distribution and habitat are limited to small pockets of forests. In Singapore, they are mostly found in the Bukit Timah and Central Catchment Nature Reserves. While in Malaysia, they are only found in the states…
Presbytis robinsoni
CONSERVATION STATUS: NEAR THREATENED
Robinson’s banded langurs naturally occur in the northern peninsula of Malaysia, South Myanmar, and Thailand. They live in tropical and subtropical forests but have adapted to secondary growth and agricultural plantations. Though there are no published estimates of their population, Robinson’s banded langurs are…
Presbytis sabana
CONSERVATION STATUS: ENDANGERED
The Sabah grizzled langur, also known as the crested grizzled langur, or the Saban gray langur, is found on the island of Borneo, in the Malaysian province of Sabah. Within their range, they are found in evergreen, lowland, riparian (on a riverbank or stream), montane (mountainous) forests, and tree plantations…
Presbytis siberu
CONSERVATION STATUS: ENDANGERED
The Siberut langur, also called the sombre-bellied Mentawai Island langur, is endemic to the island of Siberut, the northernmost of the Mentawai Islands off the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. Being endemic means that they are only found on that single island, and are not found naturally anywhere else in the world. They…
Presbytis mitrata
CONSERVATION STATUS: VULNERABLE
Southern mitered langurs, also known as mitered langurs or depigmented mitered langurs, are native to Indonesia’s largest island: Sumatra. More specifically, they inhabit the southeastern regions of the island, staying east of the Barisan Range, extending from the Batang Hari River to the upper Musi River drainage, as well as…
Presbytis thomasi
CONSERVATION STATUS: VULNERABLE
Indicative of one of its aliases, Northern Sumatran leaf monkeys, Thomas’s leaf monkeys inhabit the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, residing in remote Aceh Province. The species’ range extends north of the Wampu and Simpangkiri Rivers and stretches to the southern bank of the Simpangkiri River. Home range is…
Presbytis siamensis
CONSERVATION STATUS: NEAR THREATENED
White-thighed surilis, also known as pale-thighed langurs (a species of leaf monkey), are endemic to Southeast Asia. Isolated populations reside in the countries of Indonesia on the island of Sumatra and east of Sumatra on the granite islands of the Riau Archipelago within the Strait of Malacca; in the Peninsular Malaysia…