Golden Langur

Golden Langur, or Gee's Golden Langur, is known by the scientific name of Trachypithecus geei. An Old World monkey, it was first noticed by the scientific community in the 1950s only. In the Indian subcontinent, Golden langurs are found mainly in the foothills of the Himalayas, along the Assam-Bhutan border. The langurs are considered to be sacred by the Himalayan people.

Physical Traits
The coat of golden langurs is covered with rich golden to bright creamish hair. The face is black and they have a very long tail, which may measure upto 50 cm in length. The long tail of the golden langur helps it in balancing itself while leaping across the branches of trees. It is mainly found inhabiting the forests of India that have high trees.

Diet
Golden langur is herbivorous and its diet mainly consists of ripe and unripe fruits, mature and young leaves, seeds, buds and flowers.

Behavior
One can see Golden langurs mainly in groups, which may range from those consisting of only 8 members to the ones with 50 members. In each group, one male langur attaches itself with a number of females.

Status
Golden langurs are currently considered to be an endangered species in India. Presently, their population is around 10,000 only. One of the major reasons for the dwindling population is the destruction as well as degradation of their natural habitat by humans.

Sub-species of Golden Langur