Context (TH): The 2,000 MW Sharavathy project proposed by the Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd will include blasting and movement of heavy machinery in the Sharavathi Lion Tailed Macaque Sanctuary.
About Lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus)
Lion-tailed macaque (or wanderoo), sometimes called bearded monkey, is an Old World monkeyendemic to the Western Ghats.
Physical description: They are covered in black fur and have a striking gray or silver mane that surrounds their face, which can be found in both sexes. The mane that surrounds its face gives it the nickname “beard ape“.
Unlike other macaques, they are shy and avoid humans when possible. Males define the boundaries of their home ranges by calls.
They are arboreal and diurnal (active exclusively in daylight hours).
Distribution: Found in three states, namely, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
Habitat:Prefers tropical evergreen rainforests but also found in monsoon forests.
Diet: They are omnivorous, but their diet consists mainly of fruit. They also eat a wide variety of vegetation such as leaves, stems, flowers, buds, and fungi.
Threats: Habitat loss, hunting and wood harvesting.
Conservation Status: IUCN: Endangered | CITES: Appendix I | Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I
Significance: It is an indicator of thehealth of rainforests. It is an Umbrella species for the conservation of other wildlife species in the region.
An umbrella species is defined as a species whose conservation is expected to confer protection to a large number of naturally co-occurring species.
