Activities, habitat use and diet of wild dusky langurs, Trachypithecus obscurus in different habitat types in Penang, Malaysia
2019
Yap, Jo Leen | Ruppert, Nadine | Nik Fadzly Nik Rosely
Most primates are threatened but studies that address their use of degraded habitats are scarce. Here, we report on activities, habitat use and diet of Trachypithecus obscurus in a human-impacted landscape in Penang Island. We studied the relationship of these primates with their habitat to facilitate conservation management plans. We used group scan sampling to assess activity budgets and recorded home range size, stratum use and food plant species and parts. The home range of the study group was 12.9 hectares, including secondary forest (61.2%), a nature park (23.9%) and beach (14.9%). Langurs mainly rested (43.5%) and fed (24.8%) and spent significantly more time resting and foraging in the secondary forest than elsewhere. They mainly fed on leaves (60.3%) and consumed 56 identified plant species from 32 families of wild and cultivated plants. Langurs behaved differently and ate different plant species in different habitat types and the group had to cross a busy motorway to reach the beach, thus, we also report on road crossing behaviour. These langurs have seemingly adapted well to disturbed habitat however, more comparative studies are needed to predict long-term effects of habitat degradation on the population of this species and to develop feasible conservation plans.
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