Facts About Lion-Tailed Monkeys

The lion-tailed macaque is a medium-sized monkey in the Old World monkey family known as Cercopithecidae. It belongs to the genus Macaca, which consists of over 20 different species of macaque. It is an endangered species with less than 4,000 individuals thought to be left in the wild living in a small geographic range.

  1. Description

    • Lion-tailed macaques grow to around 2 feet in length and have tails that add another 18 inches. These tails are long, thin and hairless except for a tuft at the tip, making it look like the distinctive tail possessed by African lions. The monkey's fur is also long and black with a grayer mane around the face. Males tend to be larger than females, weighing up to 33 lbs. with the females being closer to 15 lbs. on average.

    Habitat and Range

    • The lion-tailed macaque is only found in southwest India in the Western Ghat mountain range at elevations of 2,000 to 3,500 feet. It lives in small areas of evergreen forest known as sholas, spending most of the time high up in the treetops. The monkeys live in small family groups of 10 to 20 individuals led by one to three dominant males. It is the only macaque species in which the male will define his territorial range by using loud vocalizations.

    Diet and Predators

    • The macaque is an omnivore, but eats mostly fruit as well as leaves, stems, flowers and buds. Insects and small amphibians are also a small part of the monkey's diet and water is obtained by drinking dew from leaves. It has expandable cheek pouches that it can use to store food if it has to leave the feeding area. The lion-tailed macaque is hunted for meat and skins by humans as well as by natural predators like large snakes, birds of prey and large mammalian predators.

    Life Cycle

    • In the family group usually only one male is dominant enough to have the right to breed with the females. No specific breeding season exists but females breed about once a year. Pregnancies last around six months with a single offspring being born. The baby will cling to its mother's underside for around a year until it is weaned and will become independent after around four years. In the wild, lion-tailed macaques can live for up to 20 years, on average, and can live up to 30 years in captivity.