The Monkey, Red Leaf Monkey, Meragang

The Bornean Langur, or Red Leaf Monkey, is one of the most interesting primate species in Southeast Asia, full of character and charisma.

They are found in the forests of Borneo from as far afield as the peat swamps of Sabangau, Kalimantan to the high altitudes of Mesilau on Mount Kinabalu.

In Sabah they are very shy and difficult to photograph, but if you manage to spot them they are a joy to observe – very funny and playful creatures.

The redleaf have a very interesting social behaviour .They can eat on the forest floor and they hop on the ground like they are doing the moonwalk in the wrong way.They are excellent jumpers as well and they love to eat young shoots. While eating they are always constantly looking out for danger in the forest and also in the horizon(presumably for raptors). It is a proven fact that clouded leopards do prey on these animals and this was shown in a case earlier this year when a clouded leopard was filmed(by Charles Ryan) in Danum Valley devouring a Red Leaf. The red Leaf monkeys always travel in groups and have excellent camouflage and can be hard to see if they freeze.

The males are slightly larger than females and are identifiable by the loud call they make, a rapid “kek ha ha ha ha” sound, which they emit to demarcate their territory and warn rivals away.

These expressive monkeys live in bands of two to 13 individuals, led by a dominant male. Their diet consists of leaves, seeds and flowers.

The Borneo Langurs are distinguished from Orangutans by their smaller size, brighter red colour, long tail and much more agile behavior. They don’t climb but leap rapidly from tree to tree.There is also a white morph of this species occasionally spotted in Tawau and Danum Valley

Where to spot them…

In Sabah, they are found in most protected parks, however some of the easier places to seem are Danum Valley Field Centre, Tawau Hills Park and also at the Kinabatangan.

Their local name is Meragang, which means red monkey in the Dusun language, one of the indigenous tribes of Sabah

The photos and article is by Shavez Cheema of 1StopBorneo Wildlife. A local wildlife NGO dedicated spread awareness on the animals of Sabah to local and the reasons to protect them.