Vietnamese Wildlife

The Red-Shanked Douc Langurs

“Monkeys of Da Nang”

The Red-Shanked Douc Langurs (“Monkeys of Da Nang”) are an arboreal and diurnal Old World monkey. They are endemic to Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.   They are known for their bright colors and exhibit sexual dimorphism through their body size.   The species has been declared critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with the main threats being: hunting, habitat loss and pet trade.

Red-shanked doucs live in fission-fusion, multilevel societies that have a mean of 18 individuals per band.   Their four-chambered stomachs allow for bacterial fermentation helping them with their high-fiber diet.   The red-shanked douc is native to Vietnam, Indochina, southern Laos, and possibly northeastern Cambodia, east of the Mekong river.   Before 1967, the douc was completely unstudied.   The Son Tra Nature Reserve on Son Tra Mountain in central Vietnam holds the greatest Vietnamese population with approximately 700–1300.