Question

The lion tailed monkeys Malacca malacca silenus are found only in the region of
A. Kaziranga and other parts of Assam
B. Eastern Ghats and Madras
C. Western Ghats including Travancore of Mysore
D. Himalayan mountains

Answer 1

The world comprises different species of animals distributed all over the regions. There are species that are endemic to a certain region and there are species that can dwell in different regions. For example, migratory birds live in one place for a certain period of time depending on the climate. They then migrate to another place during season changes.

Complete answer: The lion-tailed monkey or macaque has an outstanding feature of a silver-white mane surrounding its head from the cheeks down to its chin. They are black in colour. They got the name lion-tailed macaque because of the presence of a tuft at the end of their tail which resembles the tuft of a lion’s tail. The tuft is more prominent in males than in females. They are indigenous to the Western Ghats of South India. They are believed to be rainforest dwellers. They spend most of their life in the upper canopy of tropical moist evergreen forests. These are territorial animals and live in groups. They avoid confrontations with humans and keep to themselves. The gestation period lasts up to approximately six months. Gestation is a term used to determine the time between conception and delivery of a baby. The infants of the lion-tailed macaque are nursed for at least one year. Females attain their sexual maturity at the age of four, whereas the males reach maturity at the age of six. The life expectancy of these macaques is estimated to be around 20 years in the wild and around 30 years in an animal reserve. They primarily feed on indigenous leaves, fruits, buds, insects, and small vertebrates such as lizards for instance. They adapt to environmental changes rapidly and have been observed to have been preying on eggs and nestlings of pigeons in Kerala. They devote most of their time to feeding and exploration.
Hence option C is correct.

Note: Around 3000-3500 of lion-tailed macaques have been reported to be scattered across Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu. They were once reported to be an endangered species and were classified under “The World’s 25 Most Endangered Primates” list. But after it is reported that the local governments took positive measures to protect and preserve them, they were officially removed from the list.