Lion-Tailed Macaque

About Lion-Tailed Macaque: 

 

• The Lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) is an Old World monkey.
• One of the distinguishing features of this species is that males define the boundaries of their home ranges by calls.
• Overall, their communication system contains as many as 17 vocalizations. 
• Appearance
  • They are characterised by the grey mane around their face.
  • They are sometimes called bearded monkeys.
  • The magnificent Lion-tailed macaque is named due to its lion-like, long, thin, and tufted tail. 
• Habitat
  • In the wild, these are only native to India.
  • It is a primate endemic to small and severely fragmented rainforests of the Western Ghats in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
• Threat
  • The biggest threat to the overall population of this species is the destruction of their rainforest habitat. 
• Conservation status
  • IUCN: Endangered
  • CITES : Appendix I 
  • The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 : Schedule I

 

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Q1) What is CITES?

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora is an international agreement among governments aimed at ensuring that international trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. CITES was established to address the increasing concerns about the decline in biodiversity due to overexploitation, habitat destruction, and illegal trade.

Source: Conservationists call for study after rare spotting of lion-tailed macaques in Nadugani.