Proboscis Monkeys
Not Just a Nose
Classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Mammalia
Order:Primates
Family:Cercopithecidae
Genus:Nasalis
Scientific Name:Nasalis larvatus
Common Name:Proboscis Monkey
Other Name(s):Long-Nosed Monkey
Key Information
Proboscis Monkeys are a species of Old World Monkeys, which means that they are closely related to Baboons and Mandrills. They live primarily in Borneo, specifically in the wetland forests. They are able to survive in these wet areas due to a great swimming ability, including webbed toes and hands! Feeding on an herbivore's diet of seeds and unripened fruit, they will also occasionally eat an insect or two. These monkeys live in harems, dominated by a single male with several females in each, and it is believed that their large nose helps males be seen as more attractive to the females. They are listed as endangered as their population has declined by 80% in the past 3 decades, but are now protected from hunting and/or capture by humans.