MONKEYS

Common Name: Slow Loris

Order: Primates         Family: LORISIDAE
Scientific Name: Nycticebus coucang bengalensis
Bangla Name: Lajjabati / Lajuk banar

The only prosimian of Bangladesh, this little primate is characterized by its large forwardly placed, owl-like eyes of binocular vision. It has a stumpy tai, very short ears almost hidden in the fur. Coat greyish or buffy brown with paler underside, a longitudinal brown stripe on the crown and back, broad brown rings surround the eyes. Hands and feet have very powerful grip. Fingers and toes, like other primates, have flat nails instead of claws, excepting the 2nd toe which is provided with a 'toilet claw'. Head and body is 26-38 cm for males, 26-34 cm for females, tail 3--5 cm and males weighs 1.5 kg while females are 1.2 kg.

Only nocturnal and a truely arboreal primate of Bangladesh. Once it was not uncommon in almost all the districts of Bangladesh, East of the Jamuna and Meghna river systems, between 20° to 25°15' N and 90° E. Husain (1974) reported it to be present in Rangpur District, where it is absent now. The loris has disappeared from most places it used to occur two decades back. Blanford (1891), reported loris from Dhaka and Rangpur and decades back it has been exterminated from these-areas. At present found in the natural forests of the Bangladesh Garo Hills beside the Indian State of Meghalaya, Sylhet, Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, North & Souih FD of Hill Tracts. It is not uncommon.

Common Name: Stump-tail macaque

Order: Primates         Family: CERCOPITHECIDAE
Scientific Name: Macaca arctoides
Bangla Name: Khatoleji Bandar

Quite large and heavy monkey, deep brown to rufous brown, hairs thick unkempt, forehead bare, hairs radiating from the crown in all directions but very short frontally and long on other sides, forehead is wrinkled, face pink or reddish. Head and body 55-77 cm, tail 4-10 cm in males; 50-57 cm length, 1-6 cm tail in females. The males weigh 8-14 kg, females 6-10 kg. The stumpy tail is sparsely haired and is normally bent sideways.

Green (1978) assumed it to be present in the Hill Tracts of Bangladesh, since it occurs in neighbouring Myanmar. As per information (Khan 1981) Dhaka Zoo had at least two specimens under its custody between 1970 and 1972, which was possibly procurred from the Hill Tracts. It is one of the rarest non-human primates of our country.

Common Name: Assam Macaque

Order: Primates         Family: CERCOPITHECIDAE
Scientific Name: Macaca assamensis
Bangla Name: Assami / Boro Bandar

A big monkey with a large head and a heavy muzzle. Overall brownish with an orange hue on the lower back. The crown hairs are directed backwards from the bows, sometimes with slight parting. Long pale grey whiskers sweep up and back obscuring the ears. The facial skin is dusky and flesh coloured. In males the head and body is 48-68 cm long and the females are 44-52 cm long. The tail is 18-39 cm long, usually less than half of the head and body length and is never held curled over the body like the rhesus macaque do. It occurs in Sylhet, Cox's Bazar and Hill Tracts North FD.

Common Name: Crab-eating / Long-tailed Macaque

Order: Primates         Family: CERCOPITHECIDAE
Scientific Name: Macaca fasciculatis
Bangla Name: Parailla / Kakrabhuk Bandar

No Bangladeshi monkey has such a long, langur like tail, occasionally carried over the body. Moreover, the species occurs in an isolated coastal forest where no other nonhuman primate has so far reached. Pale grey brown in colour, facial skin and rump flesh-coloured, no orange hue on the body and the corner of the eyes have distinct white scar. Head and body 50-60 cm, tail 43-65 cm and weighs 3.5-8.25 kg in males; 38-50 cm length, 40-55 cm tail, 2.5-5.75 kg weight of the females.

It has the most localised distribution of all the non-human primates of Bangladesh, restricted to a tiny patch of keora-baen (Sonneratia spp. and Avecinnia spp.) forest under the Whykeong Union Council of Teknaf Police Station (PS) of Coxs Bazar District at 21°05' N and 90°12' E. It does not occur elsewhere in the country. Its population at Whykeong and an island called Jolirdia, near Teknaf township, along the river Naaf, which separates Bangladesh from Burma, may not exceed 300 over an area of 5 to 10 sq. km.

Common Name: Rhesus Macaque

Order: Primates         Family: CERCOPITHECIDAE
Scientific Name: Macaca mulatta mulatta
Bangla Name: Banar

Only primate species known to most people of the Country. Upper back grey brown, rump and thighs orange brown. The hairs on the head are directed straight back from the brows, with no parting or whorl. The bare facial skin and hindquarters are bright red in adults with underside paler. Head and body 49-64 cm and a weight of 5-11 kg in males; females 45-53 cm and 3-11 kg. Tail 19-31 cm, which is half the head and body length, thickly haired, often carried over the body with coiled tip.

Had a wide distribution and used to live in the cities, townships, villages and in all types of forest of Bangladesh. Still found in all forest types, the countryside population has almost disappeared and the city population has became restricted to a few spots. Rhesus macaque is found in the older part of Dhaka city. Bondor and Tanbazar of Narayanganj town, Dhamrai, Bormibazar and the Ghazipur Ordinance Depot, where a troop has taken shelter from the nearby Rajendrapur sal forest, being released there by the forest department. All these locations are within 35 km of Dhaka city. Urban monkeys are also found in the village, Uzirpur PS, under Barisal, Madaripur township, Puranbazar of Chandpur and Matlab PS headquarters under Comilla and in ChapaiNawabganj district. The species has been wiped out from the sal forests of Dinaipur and Rangpur districts. The largest population lives in the Sundarbans.

Common Name: Pig tailed Macaque

Order: Primates         Family: CERCOPITHECIDAE
Scientific Name: Macaca nemestrina
Bangla Name: Ultoleji / Uloo bandar

The largest and the heaviest of our monkeys with a sparsely haired short tail, carried most of the time over the back half, erect or arched. Legs are long, muzzle also very pronounced. Back is greyish olive to russet, it has a dark crown, greyish white underparts, skin pinkish brown, greenish white marking on the eyelid, prominent in the older specimens. Crown hairs are short, radiating from a central whorl, forming a thick cover of erect hairs - a feature very characteristic in this species. Oestrous females have conspicuous swelling and reddening of the hindquarters. Head and body 50-60 cm, weight 6-15 kg in males; 43-57 cm and 4-11 kg respectively in the females. Tail 14-25 cm.

It has so far been found in the evergreen, semi-evergreen forests of Sylhet, Chittagong and Hill Tracts districts. Pig-tailed macaques are often found with the illegal traders of Chittagong town. It is common nowhere within its present range of distribution.

Common Name: Langur / Hanuman / Common Langur

Order: Primates         Family: CERCOPITHECIDAE
Scientific Name: Presbytis entellus
Bangla Name: Hanuman

The largest and the heaviest member of the family. Adult langurs are light greyish fawn, darker on the inside of the arms and legs, skin black, black face contrasts with the light hairs and marked eyebrows. Arms, legs and trunk are long and thin, the very long tail is carried over the back. It has a characteristic hoop-hoop-hoop call. Newborn are pink with black brows, in a couple of months colour changes to black. Sexually dimorphic; males head and body is 51-108 cm and weighs 9 -21 kg; females are 45-95 cm and 6 to 18 kg. The tail is always longer than the body, 72- 109 cm.

A truly village-dwelling primate of Bangladesh, although it is found both in forest and countryside of India. It used to occur in the western part of Bangladesh, West of 90° E in the districts of Dinaipur, Rangpur, Bogra, Rajshahi, Pabna, Kushtia and Jessore. Its no more present in most parts of its former range. Dr. Reza Khan and two of his research students have studied the langur in Chuadanga, Jivannagar, Meherpur, Kushtia, Maheshpur, Manirampur, Keshabpur, Jhenaidah and Jessore. They have estimated the population to be between 300 and 500.

Common Name: Phayre's Leaf Monkey

Order: Primates         Family: CERCOPITHECIDAE
Scientific Name: Presbytis phayrei
Bangla Name: Chosmapora Hanuman

Smallest of our leaf monkeys with grey black upperparts and greyish white underside. The eyes are encircled by prominent white spectacles and white patch on the lips are marks of identification. Males measure 50-55 cm head & body, 7-9 kg in weight; females 45-53 cm and 5-7 kg. The tail is very long 65-86 cm. Newborn are bright orange, becoming grey within months. The species is often found in the forests of Sylhet District and occasionally found in the mixed-evergreen forest of Chittagong District. Phayre's leaf monkey sympatrically occurs with capped langur.

Common Name: Capped Langur

Order: Primates         Family: CERCOPITHECIDAE
Scientific Name: Presbytis pileata
Bangla Name: Lalchey / Mukhpura Hanuman

A medium-sized leaf monkey with brownish or greyish back and tail, gradually turning black towards the tip, deep brown to reddish underparts. The infants are like red hot iron soon getting greyish to brownish coat within a couple of months. Hairs of the crown are grey, contrasting with red whiskers of the face. A cap or crown of erect long, coarse hair directed backwards from the forehead gives the monkey its name (Prater 1980). The face is black, like other leaf monkeys. Head and body of males is 60-70 cm, tail 75-100 cm, weighing 12 kg; females 45-50 cm, tail 75-90 cm and weighing10 kg respectively.

The capped langur is the most common of the colobines and has the widest distribution. It is found in all the forest types excluding the Sundarbans, patchy coastal forests and the scattered sal forest of North Bengal; and is almost absent in the sal forest of Dhaka District. It is very common in the Madhupur National Park and Madhupur tract of sal forests, similar forests under Jhenaigati , Durgapur, entire Sylhet, Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Hill Tracts North and South FDs. A couple of isolated troops and stray ones in the Sreepur Range, near Satkhamair and Rathura under Dhaka FD remind us that the species once existed in this FD in good number. But due to total destruction of the forest ecosystem the langurs have been exterminated. There exists no natural sal forest in Dhaka FD but coppice ones.

Common Name: Hoolock Gibbon

Order: Primates         Family: HYLOBATIDAE
Scientific Name: Hylobates hoolock
Bangla Name: Ullook

This is an unmistakable non human primate with unusually long arms, comparitively short legs and without any tail. The arms are most suitable for brachiation and can swing at ease, often reminding us of circus acrobats. The adult males and young females are completely black, with age the females turn to grey brown, infants are yellow grey, soon becoming dark and finally black. The white eye-brows and some beards are characteristic and hence the other English name 'White-browed gibbon'. Standing erect a hoolock is about 90 cm in height, head and body 45-63 cm, weighing 6-8 kg. There is no sexual dimorphism in size. The hoolocks are more often heard than seen, its characteristic song, a series of whoops are sung in duet by male and female and can be heard from a long distance.

The hoolock has been found in all forest patches of Sylhet FD, (West Bhanugach, Tarap, Rajkandi, Harargas, Patharia, Kalenga etc); Hazarikhil, Bhumarigona, Whykeong and Keramtali of Chittagong and Cox's Bazar FD; Kassalong, Sangu, Matamuhuri Valley reserves of Hill Tracts North and South FD. Dr. Reza Khan have received report of the occurrence of hoolock in the sal forest at Balijhuri Range of Mymensingh FD which is under Jhenaigati PS of Jamalpur District.