Primate Watching
Primatology
Taxonomy
Macaca leonina is a monotypic species (no subspecies).
Occurrence
Eastern Bangladesh, Cambodia, southern China (southwestern Yunnan), northeastern India (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura), Lao PDR, Myanmar (including the Mergui Archipelago), Thailand, and central and southern Vietnam.
IUCN Conservation Status
Vulnerable
The precise taxonomic boundary between Northern Pig-tailed Macaque and Southern Pig-tailed Macaque is not well defined. There are populations of the two taxa found on either side of the distribution limits in the Isthmus of Kra, but many of these populations are the result of release by humans. The two species hybridize in a small area of southern peninsular Thailand, as well as on the islands of Phuket and Yao Yai [1].
Seeing this Species
Northern Pig-tailed Macaque can be a bit more difficult to see than some other macaque species. They tend to stay in the forest.
Khao Yai National Park in Pak Chong, Thailand
Just three hours North of Bangkok, Khao Yai offers a good chance. We've seen them on mutliple trips there.
Please see our page on the White-handed Gibbon for more on Khao Yai.
Overlapping species: Greater Slow Loris, Pileated Gibbon, White-handed Gibbon
Other sites:
Xishuangbanna Nature Reserve, Yunnan Province, China
There is a Monkey Hill...
Overlapping species:
Khao Yai, Thailand
Khao Yai, Thailand
References
[1] Groves C.P., 2001. Primate taxonomy. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC, USA.
Page Last Updated: 16 February 2014