Food Habits and Habitat use Patterns of Sri Lanka's Western Purple-Faced Langur

Abstract

Sri Lanka's western purple-faced langur (Semnopithecus vetulus nestor) is Critically Endangered, mainly because of habitat loss due to deforestation. Reforestation to expand the langur's natural habitat became feasible when the present government mandated the use of native plants to increase the country's forest cover. For reforestation to benefit langur populations, however, the re-created habitat needs to be similar to the natural forest that provides food and space for their survival. This monkey's diet and the manner in which it uses its natural habitat are, therefore, being investigated as the first step. The diet and habitat use patterns of two groups, Tikira and Appu, were studied for 13 and 14 months respectively (n = 1695 hours). Scan sampling (with ten-minute sample periods) was used to record all activities observed in the groups and the trees on which these activities were performed. The plant parts eaten were also noted. Our results showed that Tikira used more species than Appu to perform all of its daily activities. Additionally, while the Tikira group used Dipterocarpus zeylanicus most frequently during most months, the Appu group had six species occupying the top rank during different months. Of the ten most frequently used species, only five were common to both groups, and the frequency of use of these plants was sometimes quite variable as well. With respect to diet, Appu used at least 27 species while Tikira fed on more than 41. The top-ranking food plants of the two groups were different, and among the top ten only four were the same. The top fifteen food plants of both groups constituted over 85% of their feeding records. Nineteen species eaten by Appu and 29 eaten by Tikira were exploited for less than two months, and the two groups ate no more than five species for more than seven months of the study. Although the two groups relied on different plants for much of their nutrition, nearly 86% and 74% of feeding observations of Appu (n = 422) and Tikira (n = 685), respectively, were of them feeding on leaves. Blossoms, fruits and petioles made up the remainder of the groups' diets. While these items contributed variable amounts to the monthly diet of both groups, none was exploited more frequently than leaves. The above results are compared to information from other non-human primates, and discussed with respect to reforestation. Two points are emphasized. One is that the langur living in its natural habitat is a typical folivore, unlike those living around home gardens. The other is that while field research is essential to reforest degraded habitats it must be conducted in conjunction with conservation education and other initiatives that are designed to dissuade people from destroying restored and intact natural habitats.