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Photos of baby langur born at Bronx Zoo
Pictures in the news
mongabay.com
March 26, 2007
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Photos by Julie Larsen Maher of WCS.
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A highly endangered, three-month-old ebony langur (scientific name: Trachypithecus auratus) is thriving at the Bronx Zoo in New York City.
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) reports that the langur (born on Nov 25, 2006) is starting to explore its Asian rain forest habitat at the Bronx Zoo's JungleWorld. Visitors can see this adorable and agile zoo baby on exhibit with its mother, Dashini, father, Indra, and the rest of their troop.
Female langurs share in infant-rearing responsibilities within their troop, a behavior called allomothering, and forcibly take infants from their mother. Generally langurs live in groups of around seven individuals. Females usually give birth to a single infant at a time.
Also known as the Javan Lutung, the ebony langur is an arboreal primate found exclusively in the rainforests of Indonesia. They are herbivorous, eating leaves, fruit, flowers, and flower buds, according to Wikipedia.
This species is listed as "Endangered" by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) due to hunting and habitat loss. In recent years, Indonesia has had the highest deforestation rate in the world as a result of illegal logging, fires, and forest conversion for agriculture -- especially oil palm plantations.
The Bronx Zoo is the flagship of the largest network of metropolitan zoos in the country. It is run by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), a nonprofit group that works to save wildlife and wild places around the globe.
Photos by Julie Larsen Maher of WCS.
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Mongabay was given express permission to use quotes, information, and photos from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) for this piece.
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