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Himalayan Grey Langur: Mountain Primate Facing Fragmented Habitats
The Himalayan grey langur is a monkey that lives in the Himalayan mountains.
It has grey fur, a dark face, long arms and legs, and a long tail.
It mostly eats leaves and other plants.
These langurs can live high in the mountains and sometimes near villages, farms, roads and temples.
Buxa Tiger Reserve in West Bengal is one of the eastern places in India where they have been recorded.
Scientists have disagreed about whether some Himalayan langurs are separate species.
A 2020 study said there was not enough evidence for several Himalayan subspecies.
Keeping forests connected may help these animals move between populations and survive.
The Himalayan grey langur, Semnopithecus schistaceus, ranges across the Himalaya, including India, Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet.
In India, Buxa Tiger Reserve in northern West Bengal is among the species’ most eastern recorded locations.
The leaf-eating primate lives from about 1,500 to 4,000 metres in forests and nearby human-dominated landscapes.
A 2020 study recommended treating Himalayan langurs as one species rather than multiple Himalayan subspecies.
Researchers say habitat connectivity, geography and rivers can influence populations and gene flow across the langur’s range.
- Who
- The Himalayan grey langur, Semnopithecus schistaceus, and researchers studying its classification, behaviour and populations.
- What
- A synthesis of the langur’s range, diet, social behaviour, taxonomy and habitat-connectivity needs.
- Where
- Across the Himalaya, including northern India, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet and Buxa Tiger Reserve in northern West Bengal.
- When
- Research discussed includes studies published in 2020, 2022, 2024 and 2025.
- Why
- To clarify the species’ identity and understand the habitats and connections needed for its conservation.
Single Himalayan Species
Multiple Himalayan Species
Taxonomic classification
Single Himalayan Species
A 2020 study using morphology, DNA and ecology concluded that Himalayan langurs were distinct from plains Hanuman langurs but found no evidence supporting multiple Himalayan subspecies; it recommended Semnopithecus schistaceus as the species name.
Multiple Himalayan Species
Other researchers continue to treat Semnopithecus ajax, commonly called the Kashmir grey langur, as a separate species, so different databases and research papers use different classifications.
Key facts
- Scientific name
- Semnopithecus schistaceus
- Range
- The Himalaya, including parts of northern India, Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet
- Eastern Indian record
- Buxa Tiger Reserve, extending at least to the Raidak River
- Elevation
- Approximately 1,500 to 4,000 metres
- Diet
- Primarily leaves and other plant material
- Key habitats
- Mountain forests and associated landscapes, including areas near villages and agricultural fields
- Major conservation concern
- Forest fragmentation and the loss of connectivity between populations
Sources
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