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Hanuman langurs are largely gray, with a black face, which is thought to relate to Hanuman, a monkey warrior from the Ramayana who burnt his tail and face trying to rescue Rama's wife.[5] Males are up to 75 cm (2.3 ft) long, and females 65 cm (2.1 ft). Langurs from the southern part of their range are smaller than those from the north.
Seven subspecies of the Hanuman langur, constituting different varieties across South Asia, are recognized today:
* Nepal Gray Langur Semnopithecus schistaceus
* Kashmir Gray Langur Semnopithecus ajax
* Tarai Gray Langur Semnopithecus hector
* Northern Plains Gray Langur Semnopithecus entellus
* Black-footed Gray Langur Semnopithecus hypoleucos
* Southern Plains Gray Langur Semnopithecus dussumieri
* Tufted Gray Langur Semnopithecus priam
Medium-large, black-faced primate with gray body and long non-prehensile tail. Adult(?) female(?) sitting atop a large granite boulder over-looking the ruins of Hampi, former capital of the Vijayanagar Empire.
Worshipped by Hindus as the god Hanuman (see base-relief on temple pillar in photo).
This photograph was taken at Vaishno Devi, Katra, Jammu and Kashmir.
The Kashmir gray langur (Semnopithecus ajax) is an Old World monkey, one of the species of langurs. This, like other gray langurs, is a leaf-eating monkey. It is found in India, Pakistan and Nepal. It was formerly considered a subspecies of Semnopithecus entellus and is one of several Semnopithecus species named after characters from The Iliad, along with Semnopithecus hector and Semnopithecus priam.
The Kashmir gray langur is considered to be endangered. This is due to its restricted range, fragmented population, and threats from human agriculture and development activities. It is arboreal and diurnal, and lives in several types of forests at altitudes between 2200 and 4000 meters.
The birthing season for the Kashmir gray langur runs from January through June, although almost half of all infants are born in March. The infants are weaned at a higher age than most Asian colobines. While most Asian colobines wean their young within the first year, Kashmir gray langurs wean their young on average at 25 months. This is apparently due to nutritional constraints, since monkeys in poorer sites wean their young at an older age. The interbirth interval for females is about 2.4 years.
AKA Grey Langur, monkey with an itchy foot. These are venerated by Hindus as a god and are the most widespread langur in India.
Currently, there is considerable taxonomical debate between 'lumpers' & 'splitters'. Single species, several subspecies, or different species?
I've now applied KISS to the colloquial name.
Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Hanuman Langur Monkey (Semnopithecus priam), Kanheri Caves, Sanjay Gandhi National Park Mumbai India
The gray langurs are a group of Old World monkeys and make up the entirety of the genus Semnopithecus.