Zoosday Tuesday

***The opinions expressed on this blog are mine alone and are not endorsed by the Kansas City Zoo***

PROBOSCIS MONKEY



This is another one of the amazing animals found exclusively in Indonesia, and only on the island of Borneo. Although their nose is the most prominent feature, take a look at this guys eyes. And how about that tummy.


No, I'm not pregnant



This is a fairly large species of monkey, with the males weighing 53 lbs and females about half their size. The females also have much smaller noses. The male's nose can be up to 7 inches long and are used to attract females and amplify warning calls through the forest.  (Yes, in the proboscis world size matters, the bigger the nose, the bigger the... harem for the male.) One male usually controls a harem of 2-6 females and their offspring. They live in social groups in the mango forests of Borneo.

A male and his harem

The babies are born much darker in color than the adults. They start out a blue/black color and gradually change to the rusty red color of the adults.

Baby Proboscis

The Indonesian people once called this monkey Orang Belanda which means The Dutchman, because the primates long nose and round belly reminded them of European colonists.

Toxic Leaves

The round belly of the proboscis monkey is a result of it's digestive system which consists of multiple chambers that contain various bacteria, allowing them to consume toxic leaves and other plants high in cellulose.

30" tail

They also have a long non-prehensile tail which is used mainly for balance. They are equally at home in the trees or in water, being able to swim long distances, as well as leap long distances in the trees.

But sadly even though they are a versatile species, they are severely endangered. There are only an estimated 1000 left in the wild. They are threatened by the same problems that plague other Indonesian species like Orangutans, Elephants, Rhinos, etc. Habitat loss due to the inefficient management of palm oil production is driving more and more species toward extinction. So look for Orangutan safe palm oil, and you'll be helping their cousins the proboscis monkey's too.