It has a silver-white mane like a lion’s and lives nowhere else on Earth. The Lion-tailed Macaque survives only in scattered rainforest patches of the Western Ghats, and fewer than 2,500 mature adults remain.
📌 Must Know
Key Facts
- EndemicThe Lion-tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus) is endemic to rainforest patches of the Western Ghats, in south-western India. It lives nowhere else in the world.
- Where the Name Comes FromIt gets its name from its tufted, lion-like tail tip and the silver-white mane framing its face.
- StatusThe IUCN lists it as Endangered. Roughly 4,000 individuals survive, with under 2,500 of them mature adults.
- Active by DayThe macaque is diurnal, active only during daylight, and sleeps at night high in the forest canopy.
💡 Good to Know
Deeper Context
- Life in the CanopyIt is arboreal. It spends most of its life 30 to 50 metres up in the rainforest canopy, and rarely comes down to the ground.
- Habitat SpecialistThe species is a habitat specialist. It needs undisturbed, old-growth tropical evergreen forest, and struggles to survive in disturbed or fragmented habitat.
- DietIts diet is mostly fruit, which means it needs a forest with fruiting trees available year-round.
- Plantations Drove DeclineLarge-scale forest clearing for tea, coffee, cardamom, and eucalyptus plantations, starting in the late 19th century, fragmented its habitat and drove its decline. It is now locally extinct in some areas of the Western Ghats.
📝 Exam Point of View
UPSC CSP 2023: Nocturnal Fauna
- UPSC 2023Asked as: “Consider the following fauna. How many of the above are generally nocturnal or most active after sunset?” (Lion-tailed Macaque, Malabar Civet, Sambar Deer). UPSC CSP 2023, GS Paper I. Answer: only two.
- The TrapThe macaque is diurnal, not nocturnal, so it doesn’t count. The Malabar Civet and Sambar Deer are both nocturnal or most active after dark, which makes the answer two, not three.
✅ Test Yourself
🌟 Great to Know
Beyond the Basics
- A Nocturnal NeighbourThe macaque is diurnal and canopy-bound. That’s a sharp contrast with the Malabar Civet, a fellow Western Ghats endemic that is almost entirely nocturnal. See EnvEco0075 — Malabar Civet.
- Canopy BridgesCanopy bridges, like the one used in the Anamalai hills, have been built across some forest gaps. They reconnect fragmented habitat, and cut the risk of electrocution or road accidents on the ground.
- Troop StructureThe species lives in multi-male, multi-female troops, typically of 10 to 20 individuals, led by a dominant male.
- A Flagship SpeciesIt is one of the rarest and most threatened primates in the world, and is considered a flagship species for Western Ghats rainforest conservation.
- Highest Legal ProtectionThe species receives India’s highest legal protection tier, Schedule I, under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the same tier as the tiger.
📰 Current Affairs
Life Among People (2026)
- A Surprising NumberA study reported in May 2026 found as many as 800 Lion-tailed Macaques now living in human-modified landscapes across the Western Ghats, not undisturbed forest. (Source: Mongabay India)
- A Four-Decade StudyLong-term monitoring in Tamil Nadu’s Anamalai Hills, spanning four decades, found habitat fragmentation pushing macaques into settlements, where they face road accidents and electrocution. (Source: Mongabay India)
- A Health CostEcologist Mewa Singh noted that macaques living near people often eat processed, high-calorie human food. This leads to obesity, skin problems, and higher parasite loads than forest-dwelling troops. (Source: Mongabay India)
Beyond the answer
Browse all environment-and-ecology topics →
📚 Keep reading
EnvEco0075 — Malabar CivetEnvEco0076 — Sambar DeerUPSC CSP 2023 — General Studies Paper I (Full Question Paper)IndGeo0025 — The Eastern GhatsIndGeo0125 — Major Hill Ranges of India❓ Practice this topic
How does permaculture farming typically compare to conventional chemical farming on soil salinity?Which fertilizer is NOT suitable for fertigation, since it is largely insoluble in water?Which of the following is NOT one of FAO's three real principles of Conservation Agriculture?In which year and city was the Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture (GACSA) launched?🎲 Take a Environment And Ecology Quiz
Leave a Reply