White-headed Leaf Monkey

White-headed Leaf Monkey (scientific name: Trachypithecus poliocephalus): Named because it feeds on leaves. Long tail, suitable for arboreal life; slender body, no cheek pouches. This species has a body length of 50-70 centimeters, a tail length of 60-80 centimeters, a weight of 8-10 kilograms, which is similar to the black leaf monkey in morphology and body size. The head is small, the body is slender, the limbs are slender, and the tail is longer than the body. The fur is mostly black, but unlike the black leaf monkey, it has a tuft of upright white hair on its head, resembling a pointed white melon cap.

Group activities, usually consisting of 5-9 individuals, led by adult males. Diurnal animals, start foraging in the early morning. Their main food is leaves, fresh shoots, flowers, tree bark, and some fruits. The average lifespan of white-headed leaf monkeys is 25 years. They have a narrow distribution and a small population. There are only a few hundred individuals left, making them one of the 25 most endangered primate species in the world. They are recognized as one of the rarest monkeys in the world.

Chinese name: 白头叶猴

Latin name: Trachypithecus poliocephalus

Also known as: 白头叶猴、金头叶猴、猫巴叶猴

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Subphylum: Vertebrata

Class: Mammalia

Subclass: Theria

Order: Primates

Suborder: Haplorhini

Family: Cercopithecidae

Genus: Trachypithecus

Species: poliocephalus

Subspecies: Vietnamese subspecies, Chinese subspecies

Namer and Year: Pousargues, 1898

English name: White-headed Langur

English name: Golden-headed Langur

English name: Cat Ba Langur

The habitat of the White-headed Leaf Monkey is located in the karst area with lush sub-tropical vegetation in southern Guangxi, China. The area is characterized by continuous rocky mountains, steep cliffs, and numerous karst caves, providing a favorable natural environment for their survival and reproduction.

They have a regular daily routine, leaving their overnight shelter in the caves on the cliff face after daybreak. After resting for a bit about 30-40 meters away from the cave, they start to shuttle and leap between the cliffs or canopy, playing and frolicking like acrobats performing in the sky. They then separately jump onto the canopy or into the bushes to feed on tasty leaves, tender buds, wildflowers, and wild fruits. While eating, they also play, constantly using both hands and sometimes even help each other by grooming off parasites. Some of them return to the caves to rest around noon, while others sit on trees or sunlit rocks to close their eyes and rest, without interrupting each other. After the midday nap, they continue to play and feed, gradually moving towards the direction of their sheltering caves as the sun sets. They return to the vicinity of the caves in the evening and, after making sure there are no abnormal situations, they crawl into the caves one by one to sleep.

It is not recommended to keep. The White-headed Leaf Monkey belongs to a nationally protected animal. Its distribution is narrow and its population is relatively small. There are currently only about a hundred left.

1. Gastroenteritis

Gastroenteritis is a severe acute inflammation of the stomach and intestinal mucosa and its deep tissues.

Symptoms: In the early stage, infected monkeys show poor digestion and decreased appetite; diarrhea is watery to pasty, and severe cases turn into purulent bloody stools, which are yellowish-red and mixed with pus, bloodstains, and mucus. At this time, the infected monkeys are listless, lose their hair, and die. Their heads hang down, their appetite is lost, their body temperature drops, and they die of exhaustion.

Treatment method: See the treatment of bacterial dysentery.

2. Bacterial Dysentery

Bacterial dysentery has a rapid onset and spreads exceptionally quickly. It is a disease that frequently occurs in macaques in monkey fields, especially in newly introduced monkeys. They become thirsty and hungry on the way there and then eat excessively, causing indigestion and diarrhea. If not treated promptly, it quickly transforms into dysentery. The main symptoms are lethargy, decreased appetite, and even complete loss of appetite. Dehydration occurs severely, causing sunken eye sockets, emaciation, decreased body temperature, cold extremities, hanging head, and curled up body, leading to death in 1-2 days.

Treatment method: The treatment methods for enteritis and dysentery are generally the same, but different medications should be used according to the changes in the clinical conditions of the disease. When an infected monkey is found, it should be isolated and treated immediately, and the monkey room should be thoroughly disinfected. The entire monkey population should receive medication. Generally, they should take a broad-spectrum antibacterial drug, tetracycline, at an average of 2 tablets (0.5 grams) per monkey once a day for 2-3 consecutive days. For infected monkeys, comprehensive treatment should be given. Oral administration of sulfa methyl (S.G) twice a day, 0.5 grams each time, with the first dose of 1 gram; intramuscular injection of streptomycin and berberine or pennogenin injection, 1 dose for adult monkeys, reduced dose for juvenile monkeys. If there is no improvement after 2 consecutive days, oral administration of fluorouracil, 1-2 times a day, 200 milligrams each time, or dissolve fluorouracil in 20 milliliters of warm water and insert it into the stomach through a catheter inserted through the nostril, slowly injecting the solution. In addition, intramuscular injection of chloramphenicol and bai bing ling, 500,000 units each time for adult monkeys, reduced dose for young monkeys, once a day for 3-4 consecutive days. Meanwhile, careful nursing care is required. Feed more fruits or easily digestible foods, and add some glucose to drinking water. With this treatment method, the cure rate is very high and can reach over 95%.

3. Pneumonia

Due to weather changes, adult monkeys or young monkeys with weak resistance are prone to catching a cold. If not treated in time, they will quickly develop into pneumonia and die. Therefore, once an infected monkey is found, it should be immediately given cold medicine, and severe cases should be treated with injections. Commonly used drugs are Bupleurum Injection and Antiviral Injection, with the same dosage as for humans. For newly introduced monkeys or sudden weather changes, it is best to use herbal remedies such as Sesame, Bottle Gourd Tea, Daqing, Ancient Dragon Vine, Pineapple Leaves, and Tree Leaf to boil water for monkeys to freely drink and eat. This can prevent colds, save medical expenses, and have a good preventive effect.

Pneumonia is one of the most common acute infectious diseases in macaques in monkey fields, and there are many kinds of pathogenic bacteria, mainly caused by pneumococci infecting the respiratory tract. If an infected monkey is found in a timely manner, isolated treatment is relatively easy to cure.

Symptoms: Similar to human pneumonia, sudden onset, mainly manifested as cough, elevated body temperature. In severe cases, the infected monkeys lie prone with abdominal breathing, decreased appetite, or complete loss of appetite. Auscultation reveals obvious moist rales, irregular heart rhythms, and dullness on percussion.

Treatment method: Oral administration of tetracycline or erythromycin, twice a day, 2 tablets each time for adult monkeys; intramuscular injection of penicillin (twice a day, 400,000 units each time) plus streptomycin (twice a day, 500,000 units each time, reduced by 100,000-200,000 units for young monkeys). For monkeys with severe cough, use antitussive drugs (compound licorice syrup) and add some sugar water for gastric lavage or free diet. With the above treatment methods, the cure rate can reach over 95%.

White-headed Leaf Monkey, as its name suggests, is called a leaf monkey because it feeds on leaves. It mainly eats tender leaves and branches of plants, with 80% to 90% of its diet consisting of tree leaves. In its habitat, there are various types of tree leaves available for it to choose from according to each season. However, its feeding volume is not high. This is because it has a chamber in its stomach that can quickly break down cellulose, allowing the leaves it eats to be quickly digested. At night, the White-headed Leaf Monkey usually stays in caves where it has been living for a long time. It excretes at the entrance of the cave, resulting in some dark brown excrement collecting below the entrance over time.

White-headed Leaf Monkeys sometimes groom their fur while resting. Generally, lower-ranking individuals groom higher-ranking individuals, while individuals of the same rank take turns grooming each other to enhance their social bonding and show friendliness. Sometimes they groom themselves. However, these grooming behaviors are not frequent, which distinguishes them from other primates.