Page 50 - Atlas Of The World's Strangest Animals

50 ATLAS OF THE WORLD’S STRANGEST ANIMALS

These amazing proboscises can be up to 18cm (7in) long
Proboscis monkey habitats
and hang down over the mouth like a deflated balloon.
Only the males have such large noses. Females have
smaller, more delicate protuberances, although they’re still
big for primates. However, in the world of the proboscis
monkey, size is everything.The bigger the male’s nose, the
more attractive he appears to the opposite sex.

Water Lovers
Unlike most primates, proboscis monkeys are just as
comfortable in the water as in the tree tops – they even
have partially webbed feet.These water-lovers therefore
make their homes around flooded, lowland swamps where
a wide range of food can be found. Such wetlands may
provide easy pickings for a hungry herbivore, but they can
also be dangerous places to live.When trouble strikes,
proboscis monkeys will often drop into the water and
swim to safety, but this isn’t always a good plan! One of
When Dutch settlers arrived in Indonesia in the 1600s, the the species’ main predators are false gharials (Tomistoma
locals noticed something that made them laugh. Many of schlegelii), which often take immature monkeys from the
the new arrivals had big noses and big bellies, just like the water and will even pluck them from low branches.
native monkeys.And that is why one of the local Luckily, that big nose has other uses besides attracting a
nicknames for the proboscis monkey is orang belanda, mate. It works like an echo chamber, enabling males to
which means ‘Dutchman’! produce startlingly loud honking sounds to warn off
Undoubtedly the most prominent feature of these predators.When they’re especially agitated, their nose
reddish-brown primates are their huge, extended noses. swells with blood, producing louder and deeper calls.

Comparisons

Although they’re both Old World primates, proboscis monkeys and increasingly rare primates are found in dense forests in the mountains
golden snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana) couldn’t look of China.Their big-nosed cousins are also arboreal but prefer wet
more different.The snub-nosed species are slightly smaller with rich, lowland habitats, swamps and riparian forests close to water.
yellow-gold fur and, as their name suggests, small noses.These

Snub-nosed monkey Proboscis monkey

(c) 2011 Marshall Cavendish. All Rights Reserved.