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| Common Name: | Purple-faced leaf monkeys | Family: | Cercopithecidae |
| Latin Name: | Trachypithecus vetulus vetulus | Diet: | Herbivore |
| Type: | Mammal | Habitat: | Tropical Rainforest |
| Native To: | Asia | Social Unit: | Group |
| IUCN Red List Status: | Endangered |
Purple-faced leaf monkeys at Edinburgh Zoo
Edinburgh Zoo has four purple-faced leaf monkeys (also known as purple-faced langurs). Five came to us in August 2007 from Singapore Zoo; this group included a breeding pair and one of their offspring. Negombo, the adult male, was born in September 2004. Kandy, the adult female, was born in March 2000. Their son, Matale, was born in December 2003. Two other males, Colombo and Badulla, have since moved on to other collections.
In August 2008, we had our first purple-faced leaf monkey birth here at Edinburgh Zoo. The baby was another male, and he was named Rohan. As of September 2009, Kandy is pregnant so the group will see further expansion shortly!
Purple-faced leaf monkeys are one of the most endangered species of primate in the wild, and we hope to contribute to the captive population with our breeding programme for this species at Edinburgh Zoo.
Where it can be found at Edinburgh Zoo
Our purple-faced leaf monkey family can be found in the Monkey House.
Purple-faced leaf monkeys in the wild
In the wild, purple-faced leaf monkeys (Trachypithecus vetulus vetulus), also known as purple-faced langurs, are only found on the island of Sri Lanka. There are several sub-species of purple-faced leaf monkey that have evolved on different parts of the island, with the various sub-species showing slight genetic variations from one another. Trachypithecus vetulus vetulus, also known as the Southern Lowland Wetzone purple-faced leaf monkey, is native to the rainforests of southern Sri Lanka, ranging from south of the Kalu Ganga to about Rama.
The purple-faced leaf monkey lives mostly in the trees, only coming down to the ground if trees are too far apart for the monkey to jump from one to the other. It forages during the day. The main part of its diet is leaves, but it varies its diet depending on the time of year. In the spring it eats mostly young leaves and shoots, while in the summer fruit, flowers and seeds are its main source of food. In the autumn and winter it reverts back to mature leaves. This species has enlarged salivary glands and a sacculated stomach (meaning, the stomach has evolved small sac-like structures), both of which help the purple-faced leaf monkey to break down and digest the high cellulose content of its diet.
The purple-faced leaf monkey is facing many threats in the wild. The population of the purple-faced leaf monkey has dropped by 50 percent in the last 3 generations of monkeys, and experts predict that this trend is going to continue. Habitat destruction due to logging, expansion of human settlements and agriculture, hunting for meat and use of its body parts for drums, and illegal trade in this species are all severe threats to the purple-faced leaf monkey. Sri Lankan government reports show that the island has lost more than 50 percent of its forest cover since 1956, and this habitat destruction has wreaked havoc on the number of purple-faced leaf monkeys and other species on the island. Because of these dire threats, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the purple-faced leaf monkey as Endangered, meaning that the species is facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
IUCN Red List category: Endangered
Adopt a purple-faced leaf monkey A great way to support RZSS – buy it for yourself or as a gift for the animal lover in your life!
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