Lion-tailed Macaque (Macaca Silenus)

The Lion-tailed Macaque

Of all the macaque species, the lion-tailed macaque (macaca silenus), named for its lion-like tail, is the most threatened. The macaca silenus seems unable to adapt to close proximity to humankind, preferring to live high in the treetops, rarely venturing down to the forest floor. The main threat to the lion-tailed macaque is the destruction of its habitat, occasional persecution as crop pests, as well as its unfortunate resemblance to Nilgiri langurs (Trachypithecus johnii) which are considered to have medicinal value.

The lion-tailed macaque also has the distinction of being one of the only species of macaque that are arboreal, which means, as earlier mentioned, that they prefer to spend their time in the tops of trees, usually of the evergreen variety in more mature forests, though they will live in semi evergreen broadleaf monsoon forests, and sometimes forests near a river.

It is a small creature; males weighing in anywhere from 9 to 11 kilograms, with the females weighing up to 2 kilograms less. They have shiny black fur with a mane of gray long hairs surrounding the face. The tail is bare, ending with a black tuft of fur. Lion-tailed macaques have specialized cheek pouches, which allows them to store food, and, when fully distended, can be as large as their stomach! They move mostly on all fours, and have opposable thumbs like the rest of their macaque families.

The lion-tailed macaque lives in groups of 10 to 20 members, and have a rather complex social system. The main group generally consists of one male, who will tend to be migratory, and several females which form the core of the group. Mating can be an extremely fierce activity, with the females having the upper hand in mate selection. In some instances, a female may choose a lesser male for reasons of her own. There is no specific breeding season; this may occur year-round when the females are ready to mate. They may show this by a swelling under their tails, as well as a mating call.

Gestation for the macacus silenus usually takes five and a half months, yielding a single infant, which clings to its mother’s abdomen. If it is a female, it will retain a strong bond to her mother, usually staying in the group it was born in. If male, just before adolescence, it will either move to a bachelor group or stay solitary. It usually takes anywhere from five to nine years for a lion-tailed macaque to reach maturity, the males taking longer than the females to do so.

A hurdle facing this species is their relatively slow breeding cycles, and already low numbers, which is causing inbreeding in the species, further depressing their numbers, and weakening the remaining stock. It is estimated that, were one to remove a single offspring from every group every year, the species would be go completely extinct in the wild. Luckily, they breed well in captivity, with notable associations like the Woodlands Park Zoo leading the effort to restore the species to viable numbers.

The lion-tailed macaque's future looks rather bleak, with the Indian government doing little to protect these endangered macaques. Due to many factors, their habitat is now approximately 1% of what they once had to roam in, with that remainder being fragmented by fields, roads, and housing., leaving groups isolated from one another, further promoting in-breeding. With increased public awareness and a little luck, this species will once again have room to roam.

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Bibliography:
Mindy's Memory Primate Sanctuary http://www.mindysmem.org/macaque.html
The Woodland Park Zoo http://www.zoo.org/educate/fact_sheets/macaque/macaque.htm
Singapore Zoological Gardens Docents http://www.szgdocent.org/pp/p-mclion.htm
Eudey, A. & Participants of Indian CBSG CAMP Workshop 2000. Macaca silenus. In: IUCN 2003. 2003 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. . Downloaded on 30 October 2004.
Lion-tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus)http://members.tripod.com/uakari/macaca_silenus.html