Origin
The proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus) belongs to the family Cercopithecidae, order Primates. It lives on the island of Borneo and in Southeast Asia in mangrove swamps in tropical forests. It can be found in Malaysia on the banks of the Kibatangan River.
It is one of the oldest species of apes. It does not exceed 350 meters of altitude. It's also called the nose monkey.
It can be found in foreign and specialized literature under the names: the proboscis monkey, long-nosed monkey, Bekantan monkey in Malaysia, monyet belanda ("Dutch monkey") or Orang belanda ("Dutchman").
Due to hunting and habitat loss through deforestation and other human actions, the number of proboscis monkeys is constantly decreasing. At the moment there are estimated around 3000 copies. Their numbers have dropped more than 50% in recent years.
Feeding the proboscis monkey
When it comes to food the proboscis monkey has a large and roomy stomach that dilates if it fills. When the monkey has a full belly, it can be easily confused with a female during gestation. In the stomach the leaves are attacked by numerous bacteria that cause fermentation and digestion. This process provides the monkey with energy.
She has to avoid easily digestible foods because she has fast digestion and can balloon (accumulate gas in the stomach). Monkeys who overeat eating gas-producing foods in the stomach may die. That's why they should not consume ripe fruits that are fleshy and soft (rich in sugar), but the drier and bitter ones for digestion to be slower. It has been observed to consume at least 55 species of plants.
The food consists mostly of leaves and fruits. It is a foodie monkey that can travel up to 2km daily in search of food. Researchers believe that the proboscis monkey is dependent on those places because of the high levels of salts and minerals it finds in its food.
Other species of monkeys and humans cannot consume some of the leaves that the proboscis monkey consumes. It has bacteria that neutralize the poisons in the food.
It has both advantages and disadvantages: some plants contain antibiotic elements, if consumed they kill bacteria in the stomach.
When he has to drink water, he prefers to leave on the branches until he reaches the water rather than go down to the ground.
Appearance monkey with proboscis
The proboscis monkey is 70-77cm long, weighs about 20kg and has a tail length of 66cm. The body is covered by a reddish-brown fur on the head, shoulders and back. The tail and limbs are grey.
The fur around the neck is light yellow-brown in color. The palms are dark grey with opposable thumb, as in humans. The limbs are rather thin in relation to the body and longer. The tail is prehensile (has the ability to grab, can use it as a fifth hand).
Specific to the proboscis monkey is the nose of the male that stands out. Hence it is called the proboscis monkey or nose monkey. This trait has the role of attracting the female during the mating period.
The nose of the female is much smaller than that of the male, but larger than other monkey species. This makes the muzzle of the animal not stand out, not protruding.
Another Twitch that makes the monkey with the proboscis famous is the penis that is permanently erect. It is pale red in color and can be easily observed.
Sexual dimorphism is evident, with the male having a larger and longer nose than the female. He can reach twice the weight.
Nasalis larvatus larvatus
Nasalis larvatus orientalis
Behavior monkey with proboscis
The proboscis monkey is a unique animal. She is distinguished both by the highly developed nose of the male and by the performance of the swimmer. Although they swim very well, they prefer not to go down to the ground.
They are arboreal and spend almost all their time in the tree. Even though some monkeys move slower than others because of their bellies, they are excellent climbers.
Like other monkey species (such as The Hussar monkey) it lives in groups of 5-10 specimens consisting of females with cubs that have a dominant male. They are very aggressive with those who disturb their peace and threaten them by showing their teeth bare and making loud grunting sounds. At night they gather on the banks of rivers and the males often change the harem.
For communication, a wide range of sounds are used. Growls, howls and makes various sounds with the help of the nose. During the noise the largest monkey makes a background sound that calms the group.
If the female with the Chick jumps into the water in a few seconds the Chick moves from the belly to the back of the mother to take air.
Reproduction monkey with proboscis
After the mating period follows the gestation of 6-7 months after which the female gives birth to a single cub. It consumes its placenta and cleans the cub for its fur to be clean. The puppy is breastfed for 6 months after which it switches to solid food. How solid food tastes it begins to search for its own food.
At birth, the Cubs have a blue face, a darker, sometimes black coat, and a small nose. With age the coat color changes like that of adults and the nose begins to grow according to sex (in males more than in females).
Males that reach the age of 1-2 leave the group.
