Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 28
A moment later he sucked in his stomach and erupted in rage at our boat.
when the plentiful riches of the rainforest lie all around them? A likely expla-
nation is that proboscis monkeys split from other colobus monkey lineages
primarily because they acquired the ability to eat mangrove leaves. This gave
them exclusive access to the immense resource of the mangrove forests,
which covered a far larger area than they do today. Once this monkey lineage
was able to move into the mangrove forest's maze of swamps and streams it
was also largely protected from predators such as the clouded leopard.
These monkeys have a spectrum of talents that allow them to fl ee any
predators that do manage to penetrate the mangrove swamps. As we watched,
the troop showed of its natatorial skill. One by one the monkeys dived grace-
fully from high branches, springing as far out as they could to land in the
middle of the river. Once in the water they surfaced and swam rapidly to the
