Douc
Encyclopedia
The doucs or douc langurs make up the genus
Pygathrix, which consists of these 3 species:
These colobine Old World monkey
s, native to Southeast Asia
, have an extremely striking appearance. The red-shanked douc characteristically has bright maroon legs and reddish patches around the eyes. In contrast, the grey-shanked douc is less vibrant, with speckled grey legs and orange markings on the face. Both have dappled grey bodies, black hands and feet and white cheeks, although the cheek hairs of the red-shanked douc are much longer. The black-shanked douc has black legs. Their long hind limbs and tail allow these monkeys to be wonderfully agile in their treetop habitat.
Even though they are known as "douc langurs", they are in fact more closely related to the proboscis monkey
and snub-nosed monkey
s than to any of the langurs. They are part of the Colobinae
subfamily of the Cercopithecidae family.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Pygathrix, which consists of these 3 species:
- Red-shanked doucRed-shanked DoucThe red-shanked douc is a species of Old World monkey, among the most colourful of all primates. This attractive monkey is sometimes called the "costumed ape" for its extravagant appearance. From its knees to its ankles it sports maroon-red "stockings", and it appears to wear white forearm length...
, Pygathrix nemaeus - Black-shanked doucBlack-shanked DoucThe black-shanked douc is an endangered species of douc found in forests of Vietnam and Cambodia. This species is unique among the doucs in having a largely greyish-blue face. A recent report by the Wildlife Conservation Society estimated that approximately 42,000 black-shanked doucs were present...
, Pygathrix nigripes - Gray-shanked doucGray-shanked DoucThe gray-shanked douc langur is a douc species native to the Vietnamese provinces of Quang Nam, Quảng Ngãi, Binh Dinh, Kon Tum, and Gia Lai. The total population is estimated at 550 to 700 individuals.-Physical description:...
, Pygathrix cinerea
These colobine Old World monkey
Old World monkey
The Old World monkeys or Cercopithecidae are a group of primates, falling in the superfamily Cercopithecoidea in the clade Catarrhini. The Old World monkeys are native to Africa and Asia today, inhabiting a range of environments from tropical rain forest to savanna, shrubland and mountainous...
s, native to Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, have an extremely striking appearance. The red-shanked douc characteristically has bright maroon legs and reddish patches around the eyes. In contrast, the grey-shanked douc is less vibrant, with speckled grey legs and orange markings on the face. Both have dappled grey bodies, black hands and feet and white cheeks, although the cheek hairs of the red-shanked douc are much longer. The black-shanked douc has black legs. Their long hind limbs and tail allow these monkeys to be wonderfully agile in their treetop habitat.
Even though they are known as "douc langurs", they are in fact more closely related to the proboscis monkey
Proboscis Monkey
The proboscis monkey or long-nosed monkey, known as the bekantan in Malay, is a reddish-brown arboreal Old World monkey that is endemic to the south-east Asian island of Borneo...
and snub-nosed monkey
Snub-nosed monkey
Snub-nosed monkeys are a group of Old World monkeys and make up the entirety of the genus Rhinopithecus. The genus occurs rarely and needs much more research...
s than to any of the langurs. They are part of the Colobinae
Colobinae
Colobinae is a subfamily of the Old World monkey family that includes 59 species in 10 genera, including the skunk-like black-and-white colobus, the large-nosed proboscis monkey, and the gray langurs. Some classifications split the colobine monkeys into two tribes, while others split them into...
subfamily of the Cercopithecidae family.