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The Primates of Vietnam

 

Vietnam has with its 25 taxa (species and subspecies) the highest number of primate taxa of the countries located on the Southeast Asian mainland. For some taxa, it’s still in discussion whether they to place on species or subspecies level, respectively. The taxonomic position depends on the preferred species concept being used. Following the phylogenic species concept there are 24 species recognized, and one species, the long-tailed macaque with two subspecies.

Five of the species are endemic to Vietnam, and they are also listed among the 25 world’s most endangered primates. The IUCN Red List lists 7 taxa as “Critically Endangered”, 9 taxa as “Endangered”, 7 taxa as “Vulnerable” and only 2 taxa as “Least Concern”.

 

Lorises
   Pygmy loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus)
   Slow loris (Nycticebus bengalensis)

Macaques

   Stump-tailed macaque (Macaca arctoides)

   Assamese macaque (Macaca assamensis)

   Rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta)

   Long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis)

   Northern pig-tailed macaque (Macaca leonina)

Langurs
   Delacour's langur (Trachypithecus delacouri)
   Golden-headed langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus)
   Indochinese silvered langur (Trachypithecus germaini)

   Annamese silvered langur (Trachypithecus margarita)
   Grey langur (Trachypithecus crepusculus)
   Francois' langur (Trachypithecus francoisi)
   Hatinh langur (Trachypithecus hatinhensis)

   Black langur (Trachypithecus ebenus)
Douc langurs
   Black-shanked douc langur (Pygathrix nigripes)
   Grey-shanked douc langur (Pygathrix cinerea)
   Red-shanked douc langur (Pygathrix nemaeus)
Snub-nosed monkeys

   Tonkin snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus avunculus)
Gibbons
   Western black crested gibbon (Nomascus concolor)

   Eastern black crested gibbon (Nomascus nasutus)
   Yellow-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus gabriellae)
   Northern white-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys)

   Southern white-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus siki)

Key

= This species is endemic to Vietnam

= Primates of this species are currently kept at the EPRC

 

pl_mapMap indicates the distribution of the species in Vietnam

 

Lorises
Lorises are small, slow moving, and tree dwelling primates that feed mainly on insects and fruit. Lorises are nocturnal and sleep rolled up in a ball during the day. Two species of lorises are found in Vietnam: The pygmy loris and the slow loris.

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Pygmy loris


Nycticebus pygmaeus
Key features: Head & body length 210-290mm; fine, orange-brown hair; faint or dark dorsal stripe (young pygmy lorises and pygmy lorises in summer fur doesn’t have a dorsal stripe).

IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
Vietnam Red Data Book: Vulnerable

N. pygmaeus.jpg

Adult female, U.Streicher

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Slow loris


Nycticebus bengalensis
Key features: Head & body length 265-380mm; thick, brown-grey-white hair; dark dorsal stripe.

IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
Vietnam Red Data Book: Vulnerable

N. bengalensis.jpg

Adult male, E.Schwierz

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Macaques

Most common and widespread primates. Macaques are active during the day. They spend time both in the trees and on the ground. Macaques feed on a wide variety on foods such as fruits, nuts, seeds, bark, leaves and also insects, small animals and eggs. Five species are found in Vietnam.

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Stump-tailed macaque

Macaca arctoides

Key features: Body dark brown to black (very old animals sometimes have a whitish-grey head), face red, brown or black, sometimes red and black spotted; pointed beard; extremely short tail, nearly not visible; infants white.

IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
Vietnam Red Data Book:

Not listed

M. arctoides.jpg

Adult male, T.Nadler

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Assamese macaque

Macaca assamensis

Key features: Back and limbs grayish-brown, under parts whitish or yellowish brown; face yellowish brown with beard, sometimes dark spots around the eyes; tail 15-45cm.

IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
Vietnam Red Data Book:

Not listed

M. assamensis.jpg

Adult male, T.Nadler

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khi vang

Rhesus macaque

Macaca mulatta

Key features: Body brown, hind limbs reddish brown; face light brown or red; tail 20-30cm.

IUCN Red List: Least Concern
Vietnam Red Data Book:

Not listed

M. mulatta.jpg

Adult male, T.Nadler

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Khi duoi dai

Long-tailed macaque

Macaca fascicularis

Key features: Body reddish brown to grey-brown; light under parts; tail 40-65cm; infants dark brown to black.

IUCN Red List: Least Concern
Vietnam Red Data Book:

Not listed

M. fascicularis.jpg

Adult male, T.Nadler

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Khi duoi lon

Northern pig-tailed macaque

Macaca leonina

Key features: Body medium brown, flat patch on top of head with dark brown hair; tail slender and short, 15-20cm, with short hair.

IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
Vietnam Red Data Book:

Vulnerable

M. leonina.jpg

Adult male, T.Nadler

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Langurs
Several different leaf-eating monkeys called langurs can be found in Vietnam. All species are threatened and some are considered as “Critically Endangered”. Active during the day, langurs feed predominantly on leaves and can become extremely ill if they ingest other types of food, such as certain types of fruit.

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Delacour's langur


Trachypithecus delacouri
Key features: Body black with white hips and thighs, like a pair of white shorts; whitish-grey cheeks, an erected crest on the head; very bushy tail; infants are orange.

IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered

Vietnam Red Data Book: Critically Endangered

Listed as one of the 25 world’s most endangered primates.

T. delacouri.jpg

Adult male, T.Nadler

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Golden-headed langur


Trachypithecus poliocephalus
Key features: Body dark chocolate brown; golden-yellow crest and head, down to the shoulders; adults with a silvered line from the hips to the back; long tail; infants are orange.

Distribution: only on Cat Ba Island

IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
Vietnam Red Data Book: Critically Endangered

Listed as one of the 25 world’s most endangered primates.

T. poliocephalus.jpg

Adult female T.Nadler

 

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Indochinese silvered langur
Trachypithecus germaini
Key features: Body medium to dark grey; face blackish grey; long light grey “whiskers”; infants are orange.

IUCN Red List: Endangered
Vietnam Red Data Book:

Not listed

T. germaini.jpg

Adult female, T.Nadler

 

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Trachypithecus margarita

Annamese silvered langur
Trachypithecus margarita
Key features: Brown-grey hair with silver tips; dark grey face with light eye rings; crest on head; long tail; infants are orange.

IUCN Red List: Endangered
Vietnam Red Data Book:

Not listed

T. margarita.jpg

Adult male, T.Nadler

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Grey langur


Trachypithecus crepusculus
Key features: Body grey; white patch around the mouth; eye rings flesh colored; crest on head; long tail; infants are orange.

IUCN Red List: Endangered
Vietnam Red Data Book: Vulnerable

T. phayrei.jpg

Adult male, T.Nadler

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3-1francois2b

Francois' langur


Trachypithecus francoisi
Key features: Body black; white cheeks from corner of the mouth to the ears; crest on head; long tail; infants are orange.

IUCN Red List: Endangered
Vietnam Red Data Book: Vulnerable

T. francoisi.jpg

Adult female, T.Nadler

 

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Hatinh langur


Trachypithecus hatinhensis
Key features: Body black; white cheeks from the corner of the mouth around the ears and down to the neck; crest on head; long tail; infants are orange.

IUCN Red List: Endangered
Vietnam Red Data Book: Endangered

T. hatinhensis.jpg

Adult male, T.Nadler

 

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Black langur


Trachypithecus ebenus
Key features: Body completely black; long tail; infants are orange.

Probably only a black morph of the Hatinh langur.

IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
Vietnam Red Data Book:

Not listed

T. ebenus.jpg

Sub adult male, T.Nadler

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Douc langurs

Douc langurs are large leaf-eating monkeys found only in Indochina west of Mekong River (Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Active during the day, douc langurs predominantly eat leaves and can become extremely ill if they ingest other types of food, such as sweet or sour fruits. Douc langurs spend most of their time in the trees.

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Black-shanked
douc langur


Pygathrix nigripes
Key features: Back and belly grey; arms dark grey; legs black; face blue with cream colored eye rings; tail white.

IUCN Red List: Endangered
Vietnam Red Data Book:

Vulnerable

P. nigripes.jpg

Adult male, T.Nadler

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Grey-shanked
douc langur


Pygathrix cinerea
Key features: Back, belly and arms grey; legs dark grey; face creamy, white around the mouth; whiskers and tail white.

IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
Vietnam Red Data Book:

Not listed

Listed as one of the 25 world’s most endangered primates.

P. cinerea.jpg

Adult male, T.Nadler

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Red-shanked
douc langur


Pygathrix nemaeus
Key features: Back, belly and upper arms grey; forearms white; upper legs black; lower legs reddish; face creamy with white around the mouth; whiskers and tail white.

IUCN Red List: Endangered
Vietnam Red Data Book: Endangered

P. nemaeus.jpg

Adult male, T.Nadler

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Snub-nosed monkeys

There are only four species of snub-nosed monkeys. Three of them occur in the mountains of southern China and one is endemic to Vietnam. The diet of these monkeys largely consists of leaves and fruit.

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Tonkin snub-nosed monkey


Rhinopithecus avunculus
Key features: Back, arms and legs dark brown; head and under parts whitish; face bluish with pink lips; tail very long, light brown with whitish tassel.

IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
Vietnam Red Data Book: Critically Endangered

Listed as one of the 25 world’s most endangered primates.

Rhinopithecus avunculus.jpg

Infant, about 1½ yrs., T.Nadler

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Gibbons
Active during the day, gibbons are very vocal apes. They are known for their "singing" which can usually be heard in the early mornings over a long distance. Gibbons have no tail and very long arms and move by swinging on branches. They rarely come down to the ground, preferring life in the trees. Gibbons feed mainly on fruit, flowers, and shoots, but also insects, bird eggs and young birds, found in tree nests.

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Western black crested gibbon
Nomascus concolor
Key features: Male body black; adult females beige to yellow with black crest; infants are yellow.

IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
Vietnam Red Data Book:

Endangered

N. concolor.jpg

Adult male, T.Nadler

 

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black gibbon

Eastern black crested gibbon


Nomascus nasutus
Key features: Not different in coloration to the black crested gibbon.

IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
Vietnam Red Data Book:

Not listed

Listed as one of the 25 world’s most endangered primates.

N. nasutus.jpg

Adult male, T.Nadler

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P1030045.JPG

Yellow-cheeked gibbon


Nomascus gabriellae
Key features: Male body black; cheeks yellowish-brown; adult females beige to yellow; infants are yellow.

IUCN Red List: Endangered
Vietnam Red Data Book:

Not listed

N. gabriellae.jpg

Adult male, E.Schwierz

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Northern white-cheeked gibbon


Nomascus leucogenys
Key features: Male body black; cheeks white and up over the ears; adult females beige to yellow; infants are yellow.

IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
Vietnam Red Data Book: Endangered

N. leucogenys.jpg

Sub adult male, T.Nadler

 

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Southern white-cheeked gibbon


Nomascus siki
Key features: Male body black; cheeks white and short; adult females beige to yellow; infants are yellow.

IUCN Red List: Endangered
Vietnam Red Data Book:

Not listed

N. siki.jpg

Adult male, T.Nadler

 

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DSC_0466.JPG

Female gibbons of the Nomascus taxa

are all beige to yellow and the species is difficult to identified.

Adult female, J.Kolleck