25 Most Endangered Primates : Old world monkeys - Asia (poll).

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

This is the fourth installment in a series of polls based on the IUCN 25 Most Endangered Primates, this time featuring the old world monkeys of Asia.

Zoochatters can vote based on the primate species whose conservation they would like to see prioritized, that they consider to be their favourite, whose plight moves them most, or that interests them.

A discussion on these species and the conservation of endangered primate species in general is something I would like to encourage in the comment section too.

Which species will you vote for and why?

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

For those curious about finding more about this IUCN report and the species that are featured in the document it can be read in the link posted below:

https://www.globalwildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Primates-in-Peril-2018-2020.pdf

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

A short video from Mongabay on one of the species in this poll, the beautiful and enigmatic golden langur.

 

[CheeseChameleon1945]

Pig-tailed langur because it is a unique Asian monkey.
Though, I think the Golden langurs are definitely the prettiest out of this bunch.

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

@Kifaru Bwana I take it that you voted for the Cat Ba langur ?

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

So the purple langur and the pig tailed snub nosed langur are at a tie.

Looks like this might be the first draw of these polls.

 

[Tim May]

As I've mentioned in other similar threads, I find it very hard to select one species from such a list.

The golden langur Trachypithecus geei was named after E. P. Gee (author of "Wildlife of India") who donated both a Temminck's golden cat and the Asiatic elephant "Lakshmi" to London Zoo; two animals that I saw numerous times on visits to the zoo. This London Zoo connection has always made me very interested in the golden langur so I was initially tempted to vote for that species.

However that wouldn't have been a very logical reason for voting, so I voted for the pig-tailed snub-nosed langur as it is a member of a monotypic genus and is, therefore, the most distinctive of the four species.

 

[CheeseChameleon1945]

As I've mentioned in other similar threads, I find it very hard to select one species from such a list.

The golden langur Trachypithecus geei was named after E. P. Gee (author of "Wildlife of India") who donated both a Temminck's golden cat and the Asiatic elephant "Lakshmi" to London Zoo; two animals that I saw numerous times on visits to the zoo. This London Zoo connection has always made me very interested in the golden langur so I was initially tempted to vote for that species.

However that wouldn't have been a very logical reason for voting, so I voted for the pig-tailed snub-nosed lagur as it is a member of a monotypic genus and is, therefore, the most distinctive of the four species.

We have a Tie breaker! (for now).

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

As I've mentioned in other similar threads, I find it very hard to select one species from such a list.

The golden langur Trachypithecus geei was named after E. P. Gee (author of "Wildlife of India") who donated both a Temminck's golden cat and the Asiatic elephant "Lakshmi" to London Zoo; two animals that I saw numerous times on visits to the zoo. This London Zoo connection has always made me very interested in the golden langur so I was initially tempted to vote for that species.

However that wouldn't have been a very logical reason for voting, so I voted for the pig-tailed snub-nosed langur as it is a member of a monotypic genus and is, therefore, the most distinctive of the four species.

That is an interesting comment @Tim May and has led me down quite a fascinating rabbit hole, I just looked up E.P. Gee and I had absolutely no idea that the golden langur was discovered so relatively recently in the early 1950's.

I can understand your taxonomic rationale for voting for the pig-tailed snub-nosed langur as it is the most distinctive that is right and also really quite a mysterious animal given the paucity of what is known about its ecology.

Earlier in this poll series I voted in terms of necessity of conservation for each species but personally in this poll like with the previous one on old world / African monkey species I simply voted more along lines of a favourite species.

I have thought that the purple faced langur is one of the most striking of the old world monkeys for quite some time and I remember the first time I discovered that it existed (as a child) which was seeing the cover photo of an old national geographic magazine which showed an incredible photo of one of these monkeys.

That said, I also find the golden langur to be a beautiful species too (If I remember correctly I also first discovered about this species due to a National Geographic mag) and indeed langurs for me in general with the guenons of Africa are probably the most beautiful of the old world monkeys for me.

 

[Zorro]

I am not going to give any vote on this because there are a few species which are quite ultra rare and in need of much help to list one above the other is difficult when lots are in the same boat!

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

I am not going to give any vote on this because there are a few species which are quite ultra rare and in need of much help to list one above the other is difficult when lots are in the same boat!

Thats no problem @Zorro, I know what you mean, all of these species of course are worthy of conservation initiatives and our empathy.

The reason why I started this series of polls was more to really both to start a discussion on primate conservation see what factors influenced peoples interest in a particualr species.

The poll series so far has been quite interesting although I hoped there would be far more discussion generated in some of them.

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

A bit of an unusual result to this poll and one that I didn't expect at all.

The pig tailed snub nosed langur was the winner !