PROBOSCIS MONKEY

(Nasalis larvatus) long-tailed arboreal monkey, family Cercopithecidae, found in the swampy mangrove forests of Borneo. The proboscis monkey is red-brown with pale underparts. The nose is long and pendulous in the male, smaller in the female, and upturned in the young. The male is about 5672 cm (2228 inches) long without the 6675-centimetre (2629-inch) tail and weighs 1224 kg (2653 pounds); the female is smaller and much lighter. The proboscis monkey is a diurnal vegetarian that lives in groups of about 20. The young have blue faces and are born singly, apparently at any time of year; gestation is an estimated 166 days. The proboscis monkey is declining in population, despite government protection, because of the destruction of its habitat.