Classroom lesson 路 Wildlife馃嚬馃嚟 Thailand

The dusky leaf monkey

A monkey with white rings around its eyes - the 'spectacled langur'

A dusky leaf monkey sitting in a tree with white-ringed eyes

Photo 路 Wikimedia Commons

What is it?

Dusky leaf monkeys, also called 'spectacled langurs', are small monkeys that live in the forests of southern Thailand. They have dark grey fur, pink lips and bright white rings around their eyes that make them look like they are wearing glasses.

Tell me more

The white circles around their eyes are not actually glasses - the fur there just grows in a different colour. Scientists think it might help them see better in dim forest light, or help them recognise each other in a crowd. Whatever the reason, it makes them look like tiny owls.

Their babies are even more surprising. Dusky leaf monkey babies are born bright orange - almost glowing - which is completely different from their grey parents. The whole troop helps look after the orange baby, and it slowly changes colour over the first few months until it is grey like everyone else.

These monkeys are leaf-eaters - their name says it. Their stomach is divided into chambers like a cow's, which helps them break down tough leaves that other monkeys couldn't digest. They especially love young leaves at the tops of trees, where the sunlight is strongest.

Dusky leaf monkeys live in family troops of around 10-20. They are very calm and gentle, often sitting still for ages watching the forest. The grown-ups quietly groom each other while the children chase up and down nearby branches.

In the classroom

Walk your class through this in 15 minutes.

Talk together

Discussion prompts

  1. 01Why might a baby be born a totally different colour from its parents? What good could that do?
  2. 02Dusky leaf monkeys have a special stomach to digest tough leaves. What other animals have special stomachs for special food?
  3. 03What's the difference between a monkey and an ape, do you know? (Look it up together.)
Try this

Classroom activity

Draw a dusky leaf monkey with its big white eye-rings, then draw a baby version - bright orange. Display them next to each other. Discuss: why do you think the babies are so easy to spot?