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Order : PRIMATES
Family : Cercopithecidae
Species : Macaca pagensis
Head-body length : average 53 cm
Tail length : 13-16 cm
Weight : Males 6-9 kg, females 4.5-6 kg
(Supriatna, 2019)
Macaca pagensis
(Pagai Macaque or 'Siteut') inhabits the islands of Sipora, Pagai
Utara (North Pagai), Pagai Selatan (South Pagai) and nearby Sinakek, which form part of the
Mentawai island group off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia.
It occurs in a range of native habitats including lowland primary and lowland
secondary forest, swamp forest and riverine forest. It will also
venture into agricultural areas, including coconut plantations. (Supriatna,
2019).
Its diet comprises a variety of young leaves, seeds and fruits, as well as
freshwater molluscs; it may be seen at the same fruiting trees frequented
by the Mentawai Langur (Presbytis
potenziani) and Pig-tailed
Snub-nosed Monkey (Simias concolor). Groups size can range from 2 to 12
individuals. (Supriatna, 2019).
As with many other species of macaque, Macaca pagensis spends much of
its time on the ground or amongst the lower branches of trees.
Its fur is dark brown dorsally, and pale brown around the neck and
shoulders. Its legs are brown and its arms are reddish brown.
In 1996 the status of Macaca pagensis was upgraded to 'Critically Endangered' by
IUCN (Setiawan et al, 2020) with major threats including habitat loss, hunting,
and deliberate poisoning in agricultural areas where it is considered a
pest.
Fig 1 : Adult on Sipora
Island, Mentawai Islands, Indonesia. Photo thanks to Matius.
Fig 2 : Pair of Pagai Macaque in the shade of dense, low-level foliage on Sipora Island.
This appears to be an adult and a sub-adult. Photo thanks to Andie Ang.
Fig 3 : Remnant, tall, lowland forest on Sipora Island, which is prime habitat for the Pagai Macaque. Photo thanks to Andie Ang.
References :
Setiawan, A., Mittermeier, R.A. & Whittaker, D. 2020. Macaca
pagensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020:
e.T39794A17949995..
Supriatna, J. (2019). Field Guide to the Indonesia Primates of Indonesia.
Yayasan Pustaka Obor Indonesia. 233 pp.
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