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Order : PRIMATES
Family : Cercopithecidae
Species : Presbytis potenziani
Head-body length : no data
Tail length : no data
Weight : no data
Presbytis potenziani (Golden-bellied Mentawai
Island Langur or simply 'Mentawai Langur') inhabits the islands of Sipora,
Pagai Utara and Pagai Selatan (including Sinakak) which form part of the Mentawai
island group. These elongated islands lie around 90-120 km off the western coast of Sumatra,
separated by a deep trench up to ~1700 metres deep. To the
northwest is the island of Siberut.
Geologically the Mentawai Islands form
part of an outer-arc complex within one of the world's most active
subduction zones; the connection of this island group to Sumatra was severed
more than 500,000 years ago thereby allowing unique primates to evolve in
isolation.
Presbytis potenziani inhabits primary and tall secondary lowland
(wet evergreen) forest.
Ecological studies (home range size, canopy use, activity patterns, diet
etc.) of the closely-related Siberut Langur (Presbytis siberu),
formerly considered a subspecies of Presbytis potenziani, were
undertaken in northern Siberut (Hadi et al, 2011). Updated ecological studies of
Presbytis potenziani sensu stricto are probably required.
Presbytis potenziani exhibits the
arboreal agility typical of other Presbytis langurs, confidently leaping across
large gaps in
the forest canopy. The species is known to use all levels of the forest, but occasionally
they descend to the ground if necessary. Their diet comprises leaves, fruits, seeds and flowers.
Adult Mentawai Langur are
of striking appearance, with rich dark reddish-brown fur on the
chest, belly and upper arms, and white fur on the forehead, cheeks and throat. The
crown is black, as is the rest of the body. The tail is long and very
slender. In common with other Presbytis, infants are born all white.
This beautiful langur is categorised as critically endangered by IUCN with populations having been in decline over many decades. Major
threats to its survival include habitat loss (forest clearance and conversion
to oil palm) and over-hunting (Setiawan et al, 2020).
Figs 1 and 2 : Adult
male encountered one morning in degraded primary forest on
South Pagai island in 2023.
Fig 3 : Typical forest habitat on South Pagai Island.
All photos thanks to Andie Ang.
References :
Hadi, S., Ziegler, T., Waltert, M. et al. (2011) Habitat Use and
Trophic Niche Overlap of Two Sympatric Colobines, Presbytis potenziani
and Simias concolor, on Siberut Island, Indonesia. Int J Primatol 33,
218–232 (2012)
Setiawan, A., Quinten, M, Cheyne, S., Traeholt, C. &
Whittaker, D. (2020). Presbytis potenziani. The IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species 2020.
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