Purple-faced Langur
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| Purple-faced Langur Conservation status: Endangered | ||||||||||||||
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| Trachypithecus vetulus (Erxleben, 1777) |
The Purple-faced Langur (Trachypithecus vetulus), or Purple-faced Leaf Monkey, is a species of monkey endemic to Sri Lanka.
This is a long-tailed arboreal species, mainly brown with a dark facemask and paler lower face. The loud barking call, particularly of the highland form, can be mistaken for the roar of a predator such as a Leopard.
This was once a common species, which was found even in suburban Colombo and in the wet zone villages, but rapid urbanisation has taken a toll on the numbers of these monkeys.
It is said to be very selective in its diet, and its range has contracted greatly in the face of human encroachment, although it can still be seen in Sinharaja, Kitulgala, or in the mountains at Horton Plains National Park.
There are four distinct subspecies of Purple-faced Langur:
- Trachypithecus vetulus vetulus
- Trachypithecus vetulus nestor, Western Purple-faced Langur, rainforests of the wet zone
- Trachypithecus vetulus philbricki
- Trachypithecus vetulus monticola, Bear Monkey, Central Highlands