The Javan surili is an endangered species

Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

 of 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...

 endemic to the western half of Java, Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

, a biodiversity hotspot

Biodiversity hotspot

A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with a significant reservoir of biodiversity that is under threat from humans.The concept of biodiversity hotspots was originated by Norman Myers in two articles in “The Environmentalist” , revised after thorough analysis by Myers and others in...

. Other common names by which it is known by include gray, grizzled or Sunda Island surili; grizzled or stripe-crested langur; Javan grizzled langur; grizzled, Java or Javan leaf monkey; langur gris.

There are two subspecies of the Javan surili:

• Presbytis comata comata - Occurs in western Java
• Presbytis comata fredericae - Occurs in central Java

This colobine

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...

 species has a sacculated stomach to assist the breakdown in the cellulose from the leaves it feeds on. It has a small, slender face and tail, and large round stomachs. Its coloring ranges from dark gray to white. Leaf monkeys tend to be active during the day, spending up to 5 hours grooming themselves.

Distribution

The Javan surili is found in the western half of Java, Indonesia. It ranges as far east as Mt. Lawu on the border with East Java. According to a recent study, this species is mostly confined to Sundaland due to changes in the geography, sea level and vegetation that occurred during the Pleistocene era, and partly due to the type of vegetation and soil there today. The Javan surili lives in primary and secondary lowland rainforests, with an altitudnal range of 2500 meters.

Ecology

The Javan surili mostly consumes leaves, however, it will also consume flowers, fruits, and seeds. This species appears to be more folivorous than any other member of the Presbytis genus, with over 62% of its overall diet composed of young leaves and 6% of mature leaves.

Conservation

This species is currently listed on the IUCN red list of endangered species because of habitat loss due to human activity. It is estimated that fewer than 1,000 exist today in their natural habitat and only 4% of their natural habitat remains. Most of the loss of its original habitat is due to the clearing of the rainforests in Indonesia. Only 4% of its original habitat remains and the population has decreased by at least 50% in the last ten years. Of the two subspecies of P. comata, the frediricae subspecies is among the rarest and most at risk for extinction

Extinction

In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...

, located in one of the most highly populated areas on the island and near an active volcano.