Mammals
Red-Shanked Douc
Pygathrix nemaeus · also called costumed ape
Perched high in the Vietnamese rainforest canopy, a red-shanked douc displays a coat so vividly multicoloured, maroon legs, white forearms, a golden face, that early observers nicknamed it the costumed ape, a striking primate now Critically Endangered from intense hunting pressure.
Overview
The red-shanked douc, Pygathrix nemaeus, is one of the most vividly coloured primates in the world, native to rainforest habitat across parts of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Its extraordinarily multicoloured coat, specialised leaf-eating digestive system, and severe decline from hunting and habitat loss make it one of the most visually striking and conservation-urgent monkeys found anywhere in Southeast Asia.
A coat too vivid to look natural
Few primates anywhere combine as many distinct colours in a single coat as the red-shanked douc, a pattern so striking that its nickname, the costumed ape, feels less like exaggeration and more like simple description.
Status
Critically Endangered, having declined severely due to intense hunting pressure for traditional medicine and bushmeat combined with extensive habitat loss across Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
Red-Shanked Douc: common questions
Why is the red-shanked douc called the costumed ape?
This species has one of the most strikingly multicoloured coats of any primate, combining maroon legs, white forearms, a golden face, and a grey body in a single individual, a combination so vivid and varied that it looks almost deliberately assembled, earning it the nickname costumed ape.
Why is the red-shanked douc so endangered?
This species faces intense hunting pressure across parts of its range for use in traditional medicine and as bushmeat, combined with extensive habitat loss across Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, pressures that together have driven a severe population decline.
How does the red-shanked douc digest its leafy diet?
This species has a multi-chambered stomach adapted to digest tough leaves through bacterial fermentation, a digestive system shared with other leaf-eating monkeys such as colobus species, allowing it to extract nutrients from food most other primates cannot process efficiently.
Where does the red-shanked douc live?
This species is native to rainforest habitat across parts of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, though its remaining populations are increasingly fragmented and restricted due to ongoing habitat loss and hunting pressure across this range.