Picture a primate with a penchant for plunging.The proboscis monkey, with its pendulous schnozz and a physique built for aquatic acrobatics, is the rainforest’s resident daredevil. This long-nosed leaper doesn’t just swing through the mangroves; it hurls itself into the drink with the grace of a 10-year old at the Y, making a splash that echoes through the Bornean backwaters. But sometimes, you have to make some waves to survive here in Life, Death, and Taxonomy.
Description
Appearance: They have reddish-brown fur, a pot-bellied stomach due to their complex digestive system, and partially webbed feet, aiding in swimming.
Measure Up
Welcome to the beloved Measure Up segment. The official listener’s favorite part of the show! The part of the show when we present the animal’s size and dimension in relatable terms through a quiz that’s fun for the whole family. It’s also the part of the show that’s introduced by you when you send in audio of yourself saying, singing, or chittering the words Measure Up into ldtaxonomy at gmail dot com.
Powerpuff Girls Movie Monkey Scene 1:38
Length: 26–30 inches (66–76 cm) head to body, excluding tail.
Tail length: 24–28 inches (60–71 cm).
Weight: 35–50 pounds (16–22 kg), with some reaching up to 66 pounds (30 kg).
Length of the Proboscis Monkey
The Proboscis Monkey has a head-and-body length of 30 inches (76.2 cm). How many monkeys, laid end to end, fit into the length of these Borneo-related objects?
Question: How many Proboscis Monkeys fit into each object’s length?
A) 1.6 go into the length of a Dayak blowpipe
B) 3.3 go into the length of a Borneo pygmy elephant (correct)
C) 1.9 go into the height of a Rafflesia flower
a) The length of a Dayak blowpipe
A traditional Dayak blowpipe (sumpit), used by indigenous groups like the Iban in Sarawak, typically measures about 6.6 feet (2 meters or 200 cm) for hunting.
b) The length of a Borneo pygmy elephant
The Borneo pygmy elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis), a subspecies native to Borneo’s forests, has a body length of about 8.2 feet (2.5 meters or 250 cm), excluding the trunk and tail, for an adult female.
c) The height of a Rafflesia flower
The Rafflesia (Rafflesia arnoldii), a giant parasitic flower found in Borneo’s rainforests, can reach a diameter of about 3.3 feet (1 meter or 100 cm) when fully bloomed, which we’ll use as a comparable “length.”
Weight of the Proboscis Monkey
The Proboscis Monkey weighs 50 pounds (22.7 kg). How many monkeys fit into the weight of these Borneo-related objects?
Question: How many Proboscis Monkeys fit into each object’s weight?
A) 0.5 go into the weight of a hornbill
B) 0.8 go into the weight of a traditional Bidayuh gong
C) 2.2 go into the weight of a pitcher plant (Correct)
a) The weight of a hornbill
The rhinoceros hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros), Borneo’s iconic bird, weighs about 6.6 pounds (3 kg) for a large male.
b) The weight of a traditional Bidayuh gong
A Bidayuh gong, a bronze or brass percussion instrument used in ceremonies in Sarawak, weighs about 22 pounds (10 kg) for a medium-sized piece.
c) The weight of a pitcher plant
The giant pitcher plant (Nepenthes rajah), endemic to Borneo’s Mount Kinabalu, can weigh about 110 pounds (50 kg) when fully mature, including its water-filled pitchers and soil mass.
Fast Facts
Here are some key facts about the proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus), native to Borneo:
- Distinctive Nose: Males have a large, pendulous nose that can exceed 4 inches (10 cm), used to amplify vocalizations and attract mates. Females have smaller, upturned noses.
- Habitat: Found in mangrove forests, swamps, and riverine areas of Borneo, often near water sources.
- Diet: Primarily folivorous, eating leaves, seeds, and unripe fruits, with a specialized stomach for digesting tough plant material.
- Social Structure: Live in groups of 10-30, typically one dominant male, several females, and their offspring. Males often form bachelor groups.
- Swimming Ability: Unique among primates, they are strong swimmers and can cross rivers to escape predators or find food.
- Conservation Status: Endangered due to habitat loss from deforestation and palm oil plantations, with an estimated population of around 7,000.
- Vocalizations: Males use loud honking sounds, amplified by their nose, to communicate or warn of danger.
Major Fact – Slaparazzi
- Proboscis monkeys are known for their dramatic belly flops into rivers and swamps, launching themselves from trees to escape predators or move between feeding sites.
- These leaps can cover distances up to 60 feet, with the monkey aiming for a flat, splashy landing to maximize impact and minimize injury.
- The belly flop is facilitated by their partially webbed feet, which act like flippers, aiding in swimming and stabilizing their aquatic entry.
- This behavior helps them evade terrestrial predators like clouded leopards and pythons, as the water provides a safer escape route.
- The loud splash of the flop may also serve as a social signal, alerting other group members to potential danger or coordinating group movement.
- Their large, pendulous noses amplify vocalizations, and the splash can complement this by creating a commotion that deters predators.
- Belly flopping reduces the risk of injury compared to diving headfirst, as their robust torsos can absorb the impact better than their heads.
- This aquatic strategy allows access to food sources like mangrove leaves and fruits in flooded forests, which other primates can’t easily reach.
- Repeated flopping can stress their bodies, but their strong limbs and flexible joints are adapted to withstand the strain of frequent leaps.
- The behavior is most common in males, who are larger and use the display to assert dominance or attract mates, turning the flop into a flashy performance.
Ending: So climb up into a tree, honk your unusually large schnozz, and belly flop into the nearest body of water like the proboscis monkey here in LDT.