{"id":36236,"date":"2026-09-02T12:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T16:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/?p=36236"},"modified":"2026-09-02T06:23:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T10:23:17","slug":"one-of-the-worlds-rarest-primates-survives-among-the-limestone-cliffs-of-northern-vietnam-where-the-remaining-delacours-langurs-are-hanging-on-in-fragmented-habitat-despite-looking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/one-of-the-worlds-rarest-primates-survives-among-the-limestone-cliffs-of-northern-vietnam-where-the-remaining-delacours-langurs-are-hanging-on-in-fragmented-habitat-despite-looking\/36236\/","title":{"rendered":"One of the world\u2019s rarest primates survives among the limestone cliffs of northern Vietnam, where the remaining Delacour\u2019s langurs are hanging on in fragmented habitat despite looking almost impossible to miss"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Finding one of the most unusual primates in the world in the middle of the stone cliffs in Vietnam looks like a miracle, but Rob Small, a Fauna & Flora photographer<\/a>, was able to immortalize the scene. The photograph taken at the Van Long Natural Reserve, shows an adult together with its baby while an adolescent moves through the limestone outcrops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being able to see a baby is a sign that you can pretend to believe that the species is reproducing. Still, a single family picture is not enough to think that the whole species is recovering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A family on the cliffs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Delacour\u2019s langur exists only in northern Vietnam and is classified as critically Endangered<\/a>. The populations that are still alive survive in fragmented forests<\/a>. And this type of landscape makes it quite difficult for protection or monitoring tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Read More: One of the world\u2019s rarest primates survives among the limestone cliffs of northern Vietnam, where the remaining Delacour\u2019s langurs are hanging on in fragmented habitat despite looking almost impossible to miss<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

UNESCO tentative-list nomination<\/a> and researchers calculated that in Van Long Natural Reserve lives around 176 to 184 langurs divided into 21 groups. This makes it the site with the largest known viable population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Adult
An adult Delacour’s langur and a young langur move across the jagged limestone habitat of northern Vietnam, where the critically endangered species survives in fragmented populations.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How many remain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The population estimations change by year and method. In this case, Fauna & Flora<\/a> calculates around 200 animals globally, while a 2022 peer-reviewed paper<\/a> cited approximately 250 to 300. But the newer photo report uses a broader figure of fewer than 600.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 2026 study done with thermal cameras could identify at least 18 groups and 116 individuals in Kim Bang, which is the second most important population of the species. Still, the numbers from the different areas and periods of study can not simply be combined to obtain a precise global total.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A habitat made of stone<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Delacour\u2019s langurs’ habitat are limestone forests. Here the trees and exotic vines grow over the different stone structures, such as broken slopes or rocky towers. What scientists say is that as this species depends a lot on this type of forest, if this habitat is destroyed, this becomes super dangerous for the animals’ survival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Read More: A M\u00e1laga-born pheasant traveled thousands of miles to Vietnam, and its mission is to help revive a species missing from the wild since 2000<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

And you might be asking why they destroy these areas? Well, because with those natural materials they make cement or materials for construction. This destroys the vegetation, and eliminates the physical karst habitat<\/a> of the mountain on which these animals depend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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