Shan State Langur (Trachypithecus melamera)

at the Yadanabon Zoo, Mandalay.

At the time I didn't pay these much attention because I assumed they were dusky langurs (there are duskies at Yangon Zoo, which is where most of Yadanabon's animals came from) but after I'd left the zoo I suddenly though "oh darn, they might have been Phayre's langurs!". I've never seen a Phayre's before and I have no real idea how to tell them apart from duskies because I gather they are very similar and I have no ID guides. Mandalay is much closer to Phayre's range than dusky range (which is waaaay down in the south of Burma) so I am sort of 50-50.

Unfortunately I only took a few photos of these langurs (one pair plus youngster), almost in passing, because I was concentrating on getting photos of the other more-interesting langur in the same cage.....

Devilfish tried to send me some photos from various books but my computer did not like the attachments so I've posted here instead.

So: dusky langur or Phayre's langur.

I like that it is Phayre's. I just wish I'd got more photos. Curse that other more-interesting langur which was in the same cage!!

Are there any Phayre's langurs outside Asia (Zootierliste shows none in Europe)?

This was the best photo of those I took, and it still has wire blur in the front. The cage was not conducive to good photography, especially with the male going nuts at anyone getting too close to the wire (trying to protect his family).

To the best of my knowledge, not only are there none outside of Asia but barring a listing on ZTL for London with no information, the species has only been held once outside Asia - a pair which did the rounds of Europe from the 1970's until a few years ago.

This pair was held at Wassenaar from 1976 until the collection closed to the public in 1984, at which point they had a brief stay at Dublin Zoo until moving to Twycross in 1986. The pair stayed here until the male passed away in or around 2000, whilst the female hung on until late 2009. I believe this individual actually set a captive lifespan record for the species.

possibly not difficult to achieve if it was one half of the only two ever kept outside Asia

While you wait for zoo reviews, you might be interested to know that Phayre's langur is therefore one of six "new" species I saw at the Yadanabon Zoo..... (er, two of which were small carnivores )

Haha, you do realise that includes those kept in captivity *within* Asia too?

Also..... wait for it..... you lucky bastard

I know, but I figured there wouldn't be any records of lifespan for most (or possibly even any) of those.

Don't hold your breath too hard, the carnivores are probably pretty standard for you. Without showing my cards too early, one of them was not a marbled cat! (Although I did see a marbled cat skin on a restaurant wall).

Considering how sneaky you can be with your wording, I feel the need to point out that saying "one of them was not a marbled cat" does not rule out that either of the other two *were*

A very short-term loan of 1,1 animas lasting from 15 March 1987 until 14 September 1987 I believe, at the end of which time the animals were returned to Beijing.