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One of the 9 langurs on WAnimals

Nilgiri Langur (Semnopithecus johnii)

Mammals · Primates · Cercopithecidae

Nilgiri Langur

Semnopithecus johnii

Vulnerable

At high risk of extinction in the wild over the medium term.

Spotted something wrong?

The Nilgiri langur is a primate endemic to the Western Ghats of southern India, with a glossy black coat and a golden-brown mane around the face. It lives in groups of one male and several females in the montane forests, and its diet is based on leaves, which it digests thanks to a compartmentalised stomach. The conversion of forest into tea and coffee plantations and hunting for its supposed medicinal properties have reduced it to fragmented populations.

Weight

9 kg – 14 kg

Size

49 cm – 71 cm

Life expectancy

25 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Sighting difficulty

Moderate

RainforestMountain
1countries7parks44same family

AI-generated images: illustrations, not photographs.

Fun facts

  • It is hunted in the belief that its flesh and organs have medicinal and aphrodisiac properties, a superstition with no basis whatever that remains one of its main threats.
  • It lives in the shola forests, patches of rainforest set among high-altitude grassland in the Western Ghats, a vegetation mosaic found nowhere else in the world.

Life cycle and biology

Skeleton type
Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat and environment
Evergreen montane rainforest and shola forest of the Western Ghats, in India
Sexual maturity
4 years
Gestation / incubation
6.5 months
Litter / clutch size
1

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semnopithecus_johnii

Where to find it

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The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.

Where to see it

Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.

Related species

Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Nilgiri Langur — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.

Same taxonomic family
Same taxonomic family
Shares a park
Shares a park
Shares a park
Same taxonomic family

How to help

The nilgiri langur is classified as vulnerable. Organisations such as the IUCN, WWF and the Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programmes is a good starting point if you want to get involved.

It's documented in 7 protected areas — one reason why protecting these places matters for its conservation.

Keep exploring

Based on what we already know about nilgiri langur.

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See full glossary
This page in other languages: Español · Deutsch · Français · Português · Italiano
See its range on the interactive map→
PeriyarIndia
Silent ValleyIndia
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EravikulamIndia
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CountriesIndia
ParksPeriyarIndia
TagsHerbivore
Herbivore
Diurnal
Vulnerable
Rainforest
Mountain
Mammal
India