RAFFLES' BANDED LANGUR

Although it is known in Singapore as the banded leaf monkey, the Raffles' banded langur is actually a sub-species of the banded leaf monkey. There are three recognised sub-species, which are found in different parts of South-east Asia.

The other two are the Robinson's banded langur, which can be found in the north of Malaysia, Thailand, and Myanmar; and the East Sumatran banded langur, found in East Sumatra in Indonesia.

The Raffles' banded langur can grow up to 84cm in length, including its tail. It is about twice the size of the long-tailed macaque, the only other monkey species in Singapore.

Although the Raffles' banded langurs were once widespread here, there are now at most only about 60 of them in Singapore, according to 2010 research findings. These monkeys can now be found only in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

The last one in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve was mauled to death by dogs in 1987 when it ventured to the ground.

LONG-TAILED MACAQUE

Including its tail, this monkey can grow up to 56cm in length.

It is native to countries such as Singapore, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

In Singapore, there are now more than 1,000 of them.

Their original habitat includes secondary forests and mangroves, but they can now also be encountered in parks and urban areas such as Bukit Batok Nature Park and Sentosa.

They often come into conflict with humans when they venture into residential areas in search of food.

Audrey Tan