Banded Surili (Raffles Banded Langur) Presbytis femoralis

Banded Surili (Raffles Banded Langur) Presbytis femoralis

Critically Endangered

Extant (resident)

Indonesia; Malaysia; Myanmar; Singapore; Thailand

A curious and intelligent small monkey species, Raffles’ Banded Langurs are also known by their other common names: Banded Leaf Monkey or Banded Surili. They are endemic to the southern peninsula of Malaysia and Singapore. They are now listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List with their primary threat being palm oil deforestation across their range.

Deforestation and conversion of habitat continue to be the major threats to this species. They particularly affected by oil palm plantations, which are expanding very rapidly within their range.

IUCN RED LIST

Appearance & Behaviour

Banded Surili’s are around 40-60 cm long and with their tails this can extend to up to 83cm in length. They weigh between 5 – 8 kg and possess dark fur with a a white coloured band across their chest and inner thighs and a shock of white fur on their face giving them a startled and morose appearance. Males have white fur with a black stripe down their back from head to tail. Males will leave their natal group before they reach sexual maturity – at about 4 years old.

Males make a ke-ke-ke alarm call sound which is like a harsh rattle. In the wild, these langurs have been observed being groomed by long tailed macaques.

Threats

Deforestation and conversion of habitat continue to be the major threats to this species. They are particularly affected by oil palm plantations, which are expanding very rapidly within its range.

IUCN RED LIST

The Raffles Banded Langur was once a common sight throughout Singapore however their number has dwindled to only 60 individuals in the wild – they are critically endangered in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. They have now increased to 70 individuals in 2022 however their ongoing existence is extremely fragile.

They are fussy fruit eaters and will travel great distances to obtain their chosen food sources: an estimated 27 plant species, including Hevea brasiliensis leaves, Adinandra dumosa flowers and Nephelium lappaceum fruits.

The Raffles’ Banded Langur faces numerous anthropogenic threats:

• Palm oil deforestation: Large swathes of their home range have been destroyed for timber and palm oil.
• Infrastructure projects: Roads and rail links cutting through their range further reduces their access to the forest.
• Hunting: Humans have been known to hunt them for food.
• Collection for the illegal pet trade.

The main threat to the Singapore population appears to be habitat loss.^[27] 99.8% of Singapore’s original primary forest, including much of its dipterocarp flora, has been eliminated, with less than 200 ha remaining, primarily in Bukit Timah and the MacRitchie Reservoir and Nee Soon Swamp Forest portions of Central Catchment.^[28] The Nee Soon Swamp Forest is the primary area of Central Catchment where the Raffles’ banded langur is found.

Habitat

These langurs are mostly active during the day and spend the majority of their lives in the tree canopy. They prefer rainforest trees of the family Dipterocarpaceae and have historically been found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand. Although almost the entirety of their rainforest has been destroyed – mostly for palm oil in Malaysia and Indonesia. They are the most dependent on trees compared to other leaf monkeys. Raffles’ banded langurs can be found in primary and secondary forests, swamps, mangroves and rubber plantations.

Diet

Banded Surilis eat a mostly vegetarian diet that consists of fruits, seeds and leaves. Their stomachs contain specialised bacteria to help break down plant matter

Mating and breeding

They are highly social and gregarious and typically live in groups of 3 to 6 individuals. There’s normally 4 or more females for every one adult male in a troop. Banded Surilis appear to have two birth seasons: July/July and December/January.

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Support the conservation of this species

This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.

Further Information

Ang, A., Boonratana, R. & Nijman, V. 2022. Presbytis femoralis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T39801A215090780. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T39801A215090780.en. Accessed on 31 October 2022.

Banded Surili (Raffles Banded Langur) Presbytis femoralis on Wikipedia

Banded Surili (Raffles Banded Langur) Presbytis femoralis on Animalia.bio

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