Semnopithecus vetulus
Silhouette: Kai R. Caspar · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The purple-faced langur (Semnopithecus vetulus), also known as the purple-faced leaf monkey, is a species of Old World monkey that is endemic to Sri Lanka. The animal is a long-tailed arboreal species, identified by a mostly brown appearance, dark face (with paler lower face) and a very shy nature. The species was once highly prevalent, found in suburban Colombo and the "wet zone" villages (areas with high temperatures and high humidity throughout the year, whilst rain deluges occur during the monsoon seasons), but rapid urbanization has led to a significant decrease in the population level of the monkeys. It had traditionally been classified within the genus Trachypithecus but was moved to the genus Semnopithecus based on DNA evidence indicating that is it more closely related to the gray langurs.
In Sinhala, it is known as ශ්රී ලංකා කළු වඳුරා [kalu ʋaⁿd̪uraː] (Sri Lanka black monkey). In the purple-faced langur, males are usually larger than females. Males measure 50 to 67.1 cm (19.7 to 26.4 in) in head-body length with a tail of 67 to 85.1 cm (26.4 to 33.5 in). Females possess a head-body length 44.7 to 60 cm (17.6 to 23.6 in) and tail length of 58.9 to 82 cm... Wikipedia →
Alarm call0:11
Sri Lanka · 2007
© Jelle Scharringa · XC1025063 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sinharaja Forest Reserve | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 2 | Minneriya National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 3 | Wilpattu National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Zoological Gardens of Sri Lanka | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Purple-faced Lutung sighting in Sinharaja Forest Reserve on a given day, based on 244 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 8 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January–February, July and October
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Purple-faced Lutung in Sinharaja Forest Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in June, the lowest month.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Purple-faced Lutung sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Purple-faced Lutung sightings, Sinharaja Forest Reserve has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Minneriya National Park (Sri Lanka, about 30%) and Wilpattu National Park (Sri Lanka, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Purple-faced Lutung is recorded against all the mammals logged in Sinharaja Forest Reserve (244 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
