Exciting news!
There are 2 native species of monkeys in Singapore, one being the common long-tailed macaque that has made the news so often due to its aggresive presence due to the frequent feeding by the public. Another, an endemic subspecies found only in Singapore, is the highly endangered banded leaf monkey. It is said to be so rare that few have been spotted in the wild. The famous photograph of it is the stuffed one at the Raffles Biodiversity Museum, where the poor little creature was the last individual from Bukit Timah Nature Reserve that got killed from attacks by dogs when it climbed down its tree.See here for the picture of the stuffed one.
http://www.ecologyasia.com/news-archives/2002/apr-02/straitstimes.asia1.com.sg_singapore_story_0,1870,112882,00.html
So is this the elusive Banded Leaf Monkey?
Found just outside my door chewing on the leaves of the trifoliate rubber tree. :) The awesome thing about staying along Kent Ridge Park!
Update:
Nope, this is not the banded leaf monkey but the dusky leaf monkey. Ahh all the false excitement. But it was still very cute. :)
2 comments:
http://www.theprimata.com/presbytis_femoralis.html
Read from the above for more information on the banded leaf monkey!
One interesting point to note:
The website states that this monkey feeds mainly on the leaves of Hevea brasiliensis (which is the rubber tree the one was spotted eating!) and Ficus variegata (not sure which species of figs there are here, but there are many fig plantings), both of which are common in Kent Ridge Park.
According to my friend Alex, this is the dusky leaf monkey and not the banded leaf monkey. This is not a native species.
Sorry for the false alarm!
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