At just a week old this precious little langur is one of the San Diego Zoo’s most recent additions. It was born on November 14. This François langur could be seen clinging to one of the groups sub adults as the group climbed and foraged in their habitat.
It’s a real team effort to raise a Francois langur infant. Their colonies perform alloparenting meaning that every family member has a role in raising the infant. Youngsters are passed around to each other and all the langurs help each other.
The bright orange baby is causing lots of excitement amongst zoo staff. “The baby is doing fantastic! We’re all really excited and very impressed,” said keeper, Joe Milo. “The baby has gotten a lot stronger within just the last week. It’s starting to look around and be very curious about its environment.”
To make it easier for the langurs to spot the baby the infants have orange fur which contrasts with the adults black coat. Within the next six months the baby will become a copy of the parents.
San Diego Zoo pioneered the breeding program for Francois langurs in America. This infant joins a family of four which live in the zoo’s Asian Passage. The first Francois langurs to live in America lived at the San Diego Zoo and they distributed some of these to other zoos.
Currently researchers at San Diego Zoo Global are undertaking studies into the physiology, diet and habitat use of langurs. This will help to understand this species and its role in the tropical rainforests of Asia.
Photo Credit: San Diego Zoo/ Ken Bohn
