Himalayan Grey Langur

Why in news?

• A study has found that different elevations of habitation make one group of Himalayan Grey Langur prefer fruits and another group feeds on flowers.

About Himalayan Grey Langur:

• This langur is basically folivorous (leaf-eater) and feeds on a combination of fruits, buds, leaves, stems, barks, roots and flowers but has also been observed eating insects
• It was once considered a subspecies of the Bengal Sacred Langur or Hanuman Langur, but it was separated as a species in 2005.
• Its population is estimated to be less than 1,500 mature individuals in 15-20 groups. They are listed as Critically Endangered as per IUCN Red List

Habitat and geographical distribution:

• They inhabit areas between 2,200-4,000 metres above mean sea level in the subtropical, tropical moist temperate, alpine, coniferous and broadleaved forests and scrublands.
• In the Indian Subcontinent, their distribution is reported from Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and from Pakistan and Nepal.
• The Himalayan Grey Langur is present in a particular area only during some parts of the year. They change their locality during different seasons, depending upon the availability of food and environmental conditions.
• These langurs come to agriculture fields during the harvesting of crops and move to the deep forest during other periods of the year.

Threats:

• Conflict between the Himalayan Grey Langur and humans is growing, with increasing incidents of crop raids.
• This is mainly due to the destruction of natural habitat and reduction in the natural food resources of this species in the forest.
• Chamba (Himachal Pradesh), the most favourable natural habitat for Grey Langurs is now affected by human activities, causing continuous decline in space.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Consider the following statements regarding Himalayan Gray Langur

1. They are basically folivorous

2. They change their locality during different seasons, depending upon the availability of food and environmental conditions

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer