When it comes to habitats and geographical features, such as meadows, woodlands, deserts, and wetlands, India is a tremendously diversified country. Given its rich biodiversity, India can sustain a wide variety of flora and wildlife. We, humans, have a unique relationship with monkeys. A crucial component of this biodiversity is primates. Monkeys come in many different species and are found throughout the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism accords monkeys a divine position. We still find primates to be fascinating although they are notorious for being restless and mischievous. Interestingly, there are many different species of monkeys in India. Few people are aware of these specific monkey species because they are only present in a few locations.
Large families of monkey species can be found in India, from the lush Western Ghats to the northeastern states to the drier woods of the country’s center. The state animal of Tripura is a lutung species called the Phayre’s Langur. Some animals enjoy being close to human towns, while others chose to live in woods, grasslands, or even deserts. It’s interesting to note that every year on December 14th, International Monkey Day is observed. This campaign aimed to raise public awareness about the need to conserve primates worldwide, including monkeys.
Here are given the list of 15 species of primates found in India.
Table of Contents
1. Rhesus Macaques
One of the most well-known Old World monkey species, the rhesus monkey is widely populated throughout the nation. The largest geographic distribution of Rhesus macaques, which are native to Asia, is in India. Rajasthan, Delhi, and Varanasi are just a few of the cities where you may see these primates in shrines and daily life. They coexist peacefully with humans and in forests alike, even taking food from individuals outside of train stations and temples. They can tolerate a variety of environments. Rhesus monkeys are nocturnal, arboreal, and terrestrial creatures. The rhesus monkey has a pink face with no fur and is brown or grey in appearance. It has a big thorax and an average of 50 vertebrae. There are two groups of approximately 6 to 9 recognized subspecies: those native to China and those native to India. Rhesus monkeys are highly talkative and energetic. They enjoy swimming and enjoy being in the water. The rhesus macaque is sociable like other macaques and forms regiments of 20 to 200 people.
2. Bonnet Macaques
The evergreen high forest and dry deciduous forests of the Western Ghat Mountains and a few of the Eastern Ghat Ranges are among the endemic habitats of the Bonnet Macaque, which is only found in south India. A two-thirds of its length long tail and a greyish brown back with a distinct round are characteristics of the bonnet monkey. In actuality, among all the monkeys seen in India, bonnet macaques have the longest tails. These macaques, which are native to peninsular India, are frequently spotted in groups of 20–30 foraging on the ground or perched on trees. While females can weigh up to 4.5 kg, males can weigh up to 5.5 kg. These primates consume small invertebrates, flowers, fruits, nuts, and seeds. They maneuver while bringing in troops.
3. Assam Macaques
The Assam macaque family is indigenous to Southeast Asia and is only found in Assam, India, and other nearby nations. Assam monkeys are a small-tailed macaque species that are grayish-yellow in color with dark brown face skin. The Assamese macaques are classified as a highly vulnerable species of macaque in India as a result of poaching and habitat loss. Compared to the rhesus or the bonnet macaque, this macaque is bigger and heavier. Its body hair doesn’t have the orange tint as the rhesus does. It can be found in the Indian Sundarbans, Assam woods, and the Himalayas. Despite being pursued food and alleged therapeutic benefits in Sikkim and Darjeeling, they are timid and indifferent to people.
4. Arunachal Macaques
The Arunachal macaque is the most recent macaque species to be found, and it lives in the dense forests of Arunachal Pradesh. The Arunachal monkey, one of the world’s most endangered animals, is comparatively large, has a very dark face, and a bushy tail, and dwells in the high mountain valleys of Arunachal. This particular monkey only exists in Arunachal Pradesh and was found there in 2004. It has a large, brown tail that is comparatively short. It is a deep-forest monkey. It is among the primate species that live in the highest elevations. Their faces are pinkish-brown, and their yellowish-brown fur fades on the limbs and body. They share the big, forward-facing eyes of most primates, which enable them to sense depth. Several males and many females make up each group in which these Arunachal monkeys dwell.
5. Stump Tailed Macaques
The Brahmaputra River Valley is home to the Stump-tailed Macaque, also known as the Bear Macaque, which has since spread to all other northeastern states and the Himalayan region of India. The eastern states of Assam, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Tripura, and Manipur are where you may find them. The entire body of the Stump-Tailed Macaque is covered in thick, dark brown fur, and it has a short tail and pink or red face. It is an endangered species. Their brief tail is where they get their name. The hue of the body fades when exposed to sunlight. They have a special practice of reconciliation after a dispute or conflict. The dominating male will kiss or embrace the subordinate once the subordinate displays his rump to him. The superior will reply by gritting their teeth.
6. Lion Tailed Macaques
An Old World monkey type that is endemic to India’s spectacular Western Ghats is the lion-tailed macaque. Lion The medium-sized, medium-black, silver-white-maned, and rainforest-dwelling-tailed monkey. It is among the most domesticated macaque species in India and one of the rarest animals in the entire globe. It’s interesting how much the call of this particular monkey species sounds like a person. They are skilled climbers and favor the woodlands’ upper canopy. These gregarious creatures are territorial, and when challenged, their battalions of 10 to 20 members engage in violent brawls to defend their territory. Only 3000–3500 of these primates exist, making them some of the strangest and most endangered species. The Silent Valley National Park and Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve are home to the majority of lion-tailed macaques in South India.
7. Pig Tailed Macaques
The northeastern part of the country, from Assam to Nagaland, Manipur, and Tripura, is home to the pig-tailed macaque. A medium-sized variety of apes, the pig-tailed macaque is also known as the northern pig-tailed macaque. It is an endangered species. The dark lines extending diagonally from the outer edges of the eyes on the northern species resemble dark mascara strokes. The tail of this species is pig-like, as implied by its name. Pig-tailed macaques have black fur at birth that turns golden brown as they age. The gregarious northern pig-tailed monkey lives in social groups of 9–81 people. Northern pig-tailed primates spend the majority of their time on the forest floor, even though they are expert climbers and will leap into the canopy if they feel threatened.
8. Gray Langur
India is home to 6 different species of grey langurs, often known as hanuman langurs. They are the Nilgiri langur, Nepal grey langur, Purple-faced langur, Tarai grey langur, Black-footed grey langur, and Kashmir grey langur. Typically found in South Indian forests are the black-footed grey langur and the tufted grey langur. In India, these langurs are also called leaf-eating primates. One of the biggest and largest Old World monkey species, the grey or Hanuman langur is indigenous to India. As their name suggests, they can have grey coats, but they can also possess yellowish coats. They have lengthy, tapering hands and dark, slender faces. Gray langurs, in contrast to macaques, are only herbivorous creatures. These creatures frequently live in metropolitan areas and enjoy open, sparsely forested surroundings. The size and form of the tails differ amongst langur subspecies.
9. Golden Langur
The Golden Langur, also known as the Gee’s Golden Langur, is one of India’s most stunning and threatened monkey species. Only a small portion of Assam, along the valley of the Brahmaputra River, is home to the Amazing Golden Langur. They can also be spotted in the Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary and the Black Mountains of Bhutan. When light hits them, their uniform covering of cream acquires a brilliant golden color. The primate generally stays in tall trees, where its long tail aids in tree-to-tree movement. The Golden Langurs are herbivores that eat fruit, blooms, leaves, buds, and seeds. India’s Golden Langur population has decreased to around 1500, and the authorities have started several conservation programs to try and increase it.
10. Capped Langur
A type of ape called the capped langur can be found in the tropical dry woods of northeastern India and other nearby nations. They can be found in the Pakke Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh and the Nameri National Park in Assam. The Capped Langur resembles the Gray Langur in certain ways, but it has an additional hat on its head. The langur is a slim, light-brown creature. Unlike some other langurs, which are born black, newborns of capped langurs are born golden or creamy white. The Capped Langur is often referred to as the Leaf Monkey since its major food sources are leaves and twigs. These sociable animals travel in herds of two to fourteen individuals. Subtropical and tropical dry forests are their natural environment.
11. Nilgiri Langur
The Nilgiri Langur is a native of India’s Western Ghats and can be found there, especially in the Kodayar Hills and Nilgiri Hills. The Nilgiri Langur is an extinct species in India as a result of deforestation and poaching. They stand out from other langurs thanks to their glossy black body and brownish-yellow head. These primates live in the Nilgiri and Kodayar Hills as well as the nearby Coorg, Anaimalai, Cape Comorin, and Brahmagiri regions. They are native to the Western Ghats. They are rumored to adore the pith of cardamom plants. They consume fruits and leaves while living in groups of up to ten people.
12. White Cheeked Macaques
Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India is the recent location of the recently found monkey species known as the White Cheeked Macaque. Except for having white whiskers on its face, the white-cheeked macaque resembles the other Macaca species in looks. Chinese primatologists Peng-Fei Fan, Cheng Li, and Chao Zhao published the first discovery and description of the species in the American Journal of Primatology in 2015. They inhabit a variety of wooded environments, including mixed deciduous and coniferous forests, both primary and secondary evergreen forests, and rainforests. White-cheeked macaques are herbivores that aid in the regeneration of new shoots in their natural forests by dispersing the seeds of the plants they consume through their feces.
13. Phayre’s Leaf Monkey
One of the uncommon lutung species also referred to as a Phayre’s langur is located in Tripura’s food tree species. The Phayre’s langur is primarily arboreal and consumes a wide variety of tree species leaves. In the northeastern states of Tripura, Assam, and Mizoram, there is a vulnerable langur species. The species can also be found in light forests, places with a bamboo predominance, and next to tea gardens. It prefers main and secondary evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, mixed moist deciduous forests, and semi-evergreen forests.
14. Nicobar Long Tailed Macaques
A variety of the crab-eating macaque, the Nicobar Long-Tailed Macaque, sometimes known as the Nicobar Monkey, is confined to the three Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal. The Nicobar monkey, which is mostly found in India’s Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve, has brownish-to-grey fur.
15. Hoolock Gibbons
The Hoolock Gibbon is the second-largest gibbon type and the only ape species to be found throughout India. In northeast India, there are just a few hundred western hoolock gibbons. Around the Brahmaputra and Dibang Rivers, together with seven sister states, is where the Hoolock Gibbons range is located. The Chittagong and Assam forests in the northeastern states are home to just a few hundred of these primates. Their distinctive vocalizations, which are loud and intricate, are what gives them their name. Berries, foliage, and insects are among their food sources. Their population decline is a result of habitat loss, hunting, and trafficking.