Habitat use of the white‐headed langurs in limestone forest of Southwest Guangxi, China: Seasonality and group size effects

Abstract

Understanding how animals cope with habitat‐specific environmental factors can assist in species conservation management. We studied the habitat use of four groups (two large and two small groups) of white‐headed langurs (Trachypithecus leucocephalus) living in the forest of southwest Guangxi, China between September 2016 and February 2017 via instantaneous scan sampling. Our results showed that the langurs primarily used hillsides (55.91% ± 6.47%), followed by cliffs (29.70% ± 5.48%), hilltops (7.26% ± 3.55%), flat zones (6.99% ± 6.58%), and farmlands (0.14% ± 0.28%). The langurs moved most frequently on hillsides (49.35% ± 6.97%) and cliffs (35.60% ± 9.17%). The hillsides were more frequently used (66.94% ± 7.86%) during feeding, and the langurs increased the use of hilltops during the rainy season, and the use of cliffs in the dry season. The langurs frequently rested on hillsides (49.75% ± 8.16%) and cliffs (38.93% ± 8.02%). The larger langur group used cliffs more frequently when moving and resting, whereas the small langur group used hillsides more frequently while resting. Langurs in all groups avoided the flat zones for feeding. Their use of habitat reflected the balancing of foraging needs, thermoregulation, and predator avoidance. We conclude that the ecological factors are determinants of habitat use for white‐headed langurs. Our findings suggest that conservation efforts should focus on protecting the vegetation on the hillsides and restoring the vegetation on the flat zones.

Diets of white‐headed langurs (Trachypithecus leucocephalus) inhabiting limestone forests: The effects of habitat fragmentation and implication for conservation

“…White‐headed langurs consume large quantities of kudzu when they need to replenish young leaves through vines (Huang et al., 2017 ). Although the Banli groups forage more on the slopes, the lack of food supply may drive them to explore areas with relatively abundant resources, as they have been found to forage in agricultural fields (Liu et al., 2022 ).…”