Not because I have a beard myself, but I think these are nice monkeys, the bearded monkey (Macaca silenus) as we called it in Dutch. More officially he is known as Lion’s Tail Macaque or as Wanderoo. It is a macaque species of about 55 cm. Both sexes have grayish black fur with large, gray sideburns that run in a wreath around the face. This has given them the nickname ‘bearded monkey’. The tail ends in a dark plume, just like a lion’s tail. That explains the other name.

This Macaque is only found in the Western Ghats, Southwest India. They live in dense tropical rainforests up to 1800 meters. You will find them there mainly in the treetops where they eat fruits and insects. Unlike most other macaque species, they rarely come to the ground.

They are social animals that live in small groups of an average of 10 individuals with 1-3 adult males. They communicate with each other through various sounds, such as whistles, chirps, and clicks.

It will not surprise you, this is an endangered species and of course again due to human activity.

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