The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates

Giant Panda

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
Primates in Peril: The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates 2016-2018 was launched on Tuesday. The list is not intended as a scientific ranking of the most threatened species, but a publicity tool to generate support and awareness. It purposefully covers a wide geographic and taxonomic range. The list is published by the IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group, the International Primatological Society, Conservation International, and the Bristol Zoological Society. It was launched at a conference of the Primate Society of Great Britain in London.

Here are the 25 species and subspecies:

Africa
Mountain galago (Paragalago orinus)
Roloway monkey (Cercopithecus diana roloway)
White-thighed colobus (Colobus vellerosus)
Niger Delta red colobus (Piliocolobus epieni)
Grauer's gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri)

Madagascar
Gerp's mouse lemur (Microcebus gerpi)
Lake Alaotra gentle lemur (Hapalemur alaotrensis)
Ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta)
James' sportive lemur (Lepilemur jamesorum)
Perrier's sifaka (Propithecus perrieri)
Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis)

Asia
Javan slow loris (Nycticebus javanicus)
Pig-tailed snub-nosed langur (simias concolor)
Gee's golden langur (Trachypithecus geei)
Cat Ba langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus poliocephalus)
Tonkin snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus avunculus)
Sulawesi crested macaque (Macaca nigra)
Western purple-faced langur (Semnopithecus vetulus)
Hainan gibbon (Nomascus hainanus)
Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)

Neotropics
Caqueta titi monkey (Plecturocebus caquetensis)
Brown-headed spider monkey (Ateles fuscieps)
Ka'apor capuchin (Cebus kaapori)
Geoffroy's spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi)
Northern brown howler (Alouatta guariba guariba)

In case anyone's interested, I've seen nine of these taxa.
 
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Which ones?

1. Roloway monkey
2. Lake Alaotra gentle lemur
3. Ring-tailed lemur
4. Aye-aye
5. Sulawesi crested macaque
6. Western purple-faced langur
7. Bornean orangutan
8. Brown-headed spider monkey
9. Geoffroy's spider monkey

Plus the gorilla at species level.
 
Ring-tailed lemur?I don't know if they are rare in the wild,but I know there are a zillion of them in zoos.
 
Ring-tailed lemur?I don't know if they are rare in the wild,but I know there are a zillion of them in zoos.

They're included due to a supposedly precipitous decline in wild populations. Personally, I found the evidence for this (at least as it was outlined by the list's lead author) flimsy at best. There's certainly been a lot of controversy lately surrounding reports of past and present population sizes.
 
In case anyone's interested, I've seen nine of these taxa.

As have I :) the same ones, in point of fact.

They're included due to a supposedly precipitous decline in wild populations. Personally, I found the evidence for this (at least as it was outlined by the list's lead author) flimsy at best.

As I understand the situation, the main issue is that although the species is still relatively widespread the population comprises a LOT of small, increasingly inbred sub-populations isolated from one another, and that the lack of geneflow between populations has now reached the point where breeding rates are dropping fast due to inbreeding depression.
 
I've seen 8 in the list.

1 Roloway monkey (Cercopithecus diana roloway)
2 Lake Alaotra gentle lemur (Hapalemur alaotrensis)
3 Ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta)
4 Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis)
5 Sulawesi crested macaque (Macaca nigra)
6 Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)
7 Brown-headed spider monkey (Ateles fuscieps)
8 Geoffroy's spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi)
 
Primates in Peril: The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates 2016-2018 was launched on Tuesday.
...

In case anyone's interested, I've seen nine of these taxa.
Is there a link available?

The thread for the 2014-2016 edition is here, for anyone wanting comparisons: World's 25 Most Endangered Primates
(EDIT: Actually, the link on there no longer works so never mind).
(EDIT II: I found a new link for that version: https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/2015-033.pdf).
(EDIT III: this page has links for the various releases of the reports over the years: Primates-SG - Special Reports).

@Giant Panda Are the nine you have seen, in the wild?? I've only seen four of them in the wild. (I've seen four from the previous version of the list as well - but only one of them is the same as from the four I've seen on this list!).
 
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I've seen:

Roloway monkey (Cercopithecus diana roloway)
Grauer's gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri)
Lake Alaotra gentle lemur (Hapalemur alaotrensis)
Ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta)
Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis)
Sulawesi crested macaque (Macaca nigra)
Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)
Brown-headed spider monkey (Ateles fuscieps)
Geoffroy's spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi)

Orangutans I've seen in the wild.
 
Only seen 7 of the species:
Lake Aloatra Gentle Lemur
Ring-Tailed Lemur
Aye-Aye
Sulawesi Crested Macaque
Bornean Orangutan
Brown-Headed Spider Monkey
Geoffroy's Spider Monkey

I'm still very gutted the last Purple-Faced Langur died not too long before my visit to the UK.

~Thylo
 
Is there a link available?

I used my own hard copy, but I imagine an online version will be available soon. Here's a link to the last report: https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/2015-033.pdf

@Giant Panda Are the nine you have seen, in the wild?? I've only seen four of them in the wild. (I've seen four from the previous version of the list as well - but only one of them is the same as from the four I've seen on this list!).

If only! I've seen two in the wild: Bornean orangutan and Geoffroy's spider monkey. Still very happy with that, though!

@ShonenJake13 also reminded me that Antwerp's eastern gorilla is a Grauer's, so I've actually seen ten taxa in total.
 
I've seen twelve of the taxa, all in captivity

Roloway monkey (Cercopithecus diana roloway)
Grauer's gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri)

Lake Alaotra gentle lemur (Hapalemur alaotrensis)
Ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta)
Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis)

Javan slow loris (Nycticebus javanicus)
Sulawesi crested macaque (Macaca nigra)
Western purple-faced langur (Semnopithecus vetulus)
Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)

Brown-headed spider monkey (Ateles fusciceps)
Ka'apor capuchin (Cebus kaapori) [RioZoo]
Geoffroy's spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi)
 
Only seen 7 of the species:
Lake Aloatra Gentle Lemur
Ring-Tailed Lemur
Aye-Aye
Sulawesi Crested Macaque
Bornean Orangutan
Brown-Headed Spider Monkey
Geoffroy's Spider Monkey
I've only seen seven of them as well, but they are a different seven.

Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta)
*Golden Langur (Trachypithecus geei)
Cat Ba Langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus poliocephalus)
*Sulawesi Crested Macaque (Macaca nigra)
*Western Purple-faced Langur (Semnopithecus vetulus nestor)
*Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)
Geoffroy's Spider Monkey (Ateles geoffroyi)

I've probably seen Javan Slow Loris (Nycticebus javanicus) as well but I can't recall so haven't counted it.

The asterisked ones are those I've seen wild. The Western Purple-faced Langur is the subspecies nestor, which isn't noted on Giant Panda's opening list.
 
I've only seen seven of them as well, but they are a different seven.

Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta)
*Golden Langur (Trachypithecus geei)
Cat Ba Langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus poliocephalus)
*Sulawesi Crested Macaque (Macaca nigra)
*Western Purple-faced Langur (Semnopithecus vetulus nestor)
*Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)
Geoffroy's Spider Monkey (Ateles geoffroyi)

I've probably seen Javan Slow Loris (Nycticebus javanicus) as well but I can't recall so haven't counted it.

The asterisked ones are those I've seen wild. The Western Purple-faced Langur is the subspecies nestor, which isn't noted on Giant Panda's opening list.

Which zoo(s) keeps Cat Ba Langur?

Western Purple-Faced Langur is the subspecies kept in the UK until less than a year before my visit.

~Thylo
 
Primates in Peril: The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates 2016-2018 was launched on Tuesday. The list is not intended as a scientific ranking of the most threatened species, but a publicity tool to generate support and awareness. It purposefully covers a wide geographic and taxonomic range. The list is published by the IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group, the International Primatological Society, Conservation International, and the Bristol Zoological Society. It was launched at a conference of the Primate Society of Great Britain in London.

Here are the 25 species and subspecies:

Africa
Mountain galago (Paragalago orinus)
Roloway monkey (Cercopithecus diana roloway)
White-thighed colobus (Colobus vellerosus)
Niger Delta red colobus (Piliocolobus epieni)
Grauer's gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri)

Madagascar
Gerp's mouse lemur (Microcebus gerpi)
Lake Alaotra gentle lemur (Hapalemur alaotrensis)
Ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta)
James' sportive lemur (Lepilemur jamesorum)
Perrier's sifaka (Propithecus perrieri)
Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis)

Asia
Javan slow loris (Nycticebus javanicus)
Pig-tailed snub-nosed langur (simias concolor)
Gee's golden langur (Trachypithecus geei)
Cat Ba langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus poliocephalus)
Tonkin snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus avunculus)
Sulawesi crested macaque (Macaca nigra)
Western purple-faced langur (Semnopithecus vetulus)
Hainan gibbon (Nomascus hainanus)
Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)

Neotropics
Caqueta titi monkey (Plecturocebus caquetensis)
Brown-headed spider monkey (Ateles fuscieps)
Ka'apor capuchin (Cebus kaapori)
Geoffroy's spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi)
Northern brown howler (Alouatta guariba guariba)

In case anyone's interested, I've seen nine of these taxa.

Why is Sumatran Orangutan omitted from the list? Numerically its much lower than Bornean I believe.
 
Why is Sumatran Orangutan omitted from the list? Numerically its much lower than Bornean I believe.
Sumatran Orangutan was on the last report (2014-2016). I guess they swapped them, but we'd have to wait until the report is available to see why (or if @Giant Panda can see a reason in his copy).
 
Personally I have seen:

  1. Ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta)
  2. Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis)
  3. Sulawesi crested macaque (Macaca nigra)
  4. MAYBE Western purple-faced langur (Semnopithecus vetulus) (I don't remember if I saw it at Cotswold before it died).
  5. Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)
Not a lot but it is at least something.
 
All three subspecies of Black and white ruffed lemurs are listed as critically endangered so I thought they should be on the list ;)
 
I went back through the previous years' lists from 2000 to now and I've seen 21 of the species ever listed.

Africa
White-Naped Mangabey Cercocebus atys lunulatus
Drill Mandrillus leucophaeus

Madagascar
Aye-Aye Daubentonia madagascariensis
White-Collared Lemur Eulemur cinereiceps
Blue-Eyed Black Lemur Eulemur flavifrons
Lake Aloatra Gentle Lemur Hapalemur alaotrensis
Ring-Tailed Lemur Lemur catta
Greater Bamboo Lemur Prolemur simus
Red Ruffed Lemur Varecia rubra
Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur Varecia variegata

Asia
Javan Gibbon Hylobates moloch
Sulawesi Crested Macaque Macaca nigra
Lion-Tailed Macaque Macaca silenus
Sumatran Orangutan Pongo abelii
Bornean Orangutan Pongo pygmaeus

South America
Geoffroy's Spider Monkey Ateles geoffroyi
Brown Spider Monkey Ateles hybridus
Black-Headed Spider Monkey Ateles fusciceps
Yellow-Breasted Capuchin Cebus xanthosternos
Golden Lion Tamarin Leontopithecus rosalia
Cotton-Top Tamarin Saguinus oedipus

~Thylo
 
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