Habitat Quality and Activity Budgets of White-Headed Langurs in Fusui,China

Within a species, habitat quality may be a factor causing different activity budgets between populations. The habitat of white-headed langurs (Trachypithecus leucocephalus) has been seriously disturbed in Fusui Rare and Precious Animal Nature Reserve, China, where we carried out a study of their socioecology from September 1997 to September 1998. We collected data on langur activity budgets from the main population located in the central part of a group of limestone hills. We classified habitat quality into 4 grades according to the extent of human disturbance. We showed that the two main study groups of white-headed langurs spent on average 50% of time resting, 13% feeding, 18% moving (including foraging), 11% grooming, and 7% playing. Langur time budgets showed no significant seasonal change, but they differed among different sex-age classes. Infants and juveniles spent about 20.3% of time playing, whereas adults spent only 0.2% playing. The group in high quality habitat engaged less in feeding and more in playing than the group in low quality habitat did. Habitat quality influenced the playing time of young white-headed langurs and may be vital to their successful maturation.