Dusky Leaf Monkey

A species of primate in the Cercopithecidae family with the scientific name Trachypithecus obscurus. It occurs from India to Malaysia and Laos, and in Thailand it is found on the southern peninsula, e.g. on the island archipelago of Moo Koh Angthong in Surat Thani (fig.), in Khao Sahm Roi Yot National Park in Prachuap Khirikhan, Kaeng Krajahn National Park in Phetchaburi (fig.), etc. It is a species of leaf-eating monkey and hence spends most of its time in trees, especially in the middle and upper canopies of the forest. Adults have dark gray to black fur with lighter grey on their chests and the top of their heads. They have a black face with bristly hairs at the eyebrows, white circles around the eyes and white skin at their mouth. It is somewhat similar to the Phayre's Leaf Monkey (fig.), but has a darker fur. The Dusky Leaf Monkey is a kind of langur and is sometimes referred to as the Spectacled Langur (fig.) or Spectacled Leaf Monkey, referring to the white rings around their eyes, that somewhat resemble spectacles (fig.). The word langur comes from Hindi and means ‘long-tailed’. Interestingly, when born, infants have an orange coat and change to the adult grey-black colour by the age of nine months. In Thai, this species is called kaang waen thin tai. WATCH VIDEO (1) and (2). 回