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 Golden and Capped Langurs
The golden langur lives only in Bhutan and adjacent Assam. It probably evolved in
geographic isolation on the western side of the Manas river. On the other side of the
river is its close cousin, the capped langur. No golden langurs are found on the river's
eastern side.
The diet of the langur - a vegetarian -- is composed mainly of
mature leaves, but it also eats young leaves and fruit. During the
monsoon season, fruit may comprise up to 50 percent of the langur's
diet. Feeding strategy is adapted to cope with seasonal food scarcity.
Langurs seldom leave the trees, even to drink from streams. They
take water from dew or rain drenched leaves. They live in troops
of as many as 50, though the golden langur, one of the rarest primates
on earth, was only discovered in the 1920s and is generally found
in smaller  troops
of about nine individuals. The common langur is one of the most
commonly seen species in Bhutan and throughout the Himalaya. Like
the rhesus macaque, this species is sacred to many Himalayan peoples.
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