Monkey Mania: Francois's langur

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Covered in silky black fur all over and small in size, the Francois's langur is easy to identify due to the white sideburns on its cheeks.

A Francois's langur is having a peaceful moment sitting on leaves. /VCG Photo

Mostly inhabiting the karst area in south China's Guangxi Province, the species is named after Auguste François (1857–1935), who was the French Consul to Longzhou County in Guangxi Province. The population of this endangered species is now around 2,000 globally.

Two wild Francois's langurs are resting on limestone. /VCG Photo

Tender leaves are their favorite food, thus they are also referred to as Francois's leaf monkey. Since its diet is mainly composed of leaves, the Francois's langur needs a strong and “custom-designed” stomach to digest.

A closeup of a Francois's langur. /VCG Photo

It has two stomach compartments, the first one contains bacteria that help break down the leaves before they enter the second stomach. This complicated digesting system is the reason why it has a big belly.

You can tell if its stomach is working when you hear it burp.

A mother langur with her baby. /VCG Photo

The Francois's langur normally only gives birth to one offspring at a time, but a rare case occurred in China last year of a langur mother giving birth to a pigeon pair at the Chimelong Safari Park in south China's Guangdong Province.

A newborn langur in its mother's arms. /VCG Photo

Newborn langurs are bright orange or red in color, and they do not change into the silky black color of their parents until around a year later.

A baby langur's hair is starting to turn black. /VCG Photo

The females perform an act called allomothering, which means they allow other females to carry and to care for their babies.

An adorable baby langur in its mother's arms. /VCG Photo

The adults emit a “ka” sound that can function as an alarm. They prefer to sleep in caves inside the limestone walls that characterize the karst landform. This smart choice of staying away from flatlands largely reduces the chance of being hunted by their predators.

(Cover designed by CGTN's Li Yueyun)

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