Proboscis Monkeys
Everyone who has the opportunity to see a Proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus) is
struck by its giant nose. But there is a second feature which is very typical for
Proboscis monkeys and their relatives, the so called Leaf-monkeys - it's their large
belly. Indicated by the name of that group of apes, they almost exclusively feed
on leaves - and leaves are not easy to digest. Moreover leaves are not very rich
in energy-content. So Proboscis monkeys have to eat a lot of leaves and spend most
of their time on feeding. In order to obtain enough energy from their meagre nourishment,
Proboscis monkeys have got a complicated stomach divided into several parts. Their
stomach is quite similar to that of ruminants, which have to face the same problems.
Adult Proboscis monkeys are large animals. Males reach a length of about 70 cm and
a weight up to 24 kg. Females are significantly smaller, reaching lengths of 60
cm and weights of just 12 kg. The tails of Proboscis monkeys are about as long as
their bodies. Their fur is brick-red, the front and the cheeks are of brighter colour
and the arms and legs are more greyish. The most obvious feature of Proboscis monkeys
is the male's extremely long nose, shaped like a cucumber. Noses of females and
young are not small either but don't reach the sizes of the noses of males by far.