Why the Proboscis monkeys stay around the rivers of Borneo

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Borneo is the only place you can find the proboscis monkey unless of course people actually move them elsewhere on purpose. It's very distinguishable from most other monkeys and the most noticeable feature is its large nose. This large nose allows adult male proboscis monkeys to communicate louder and is an important part of their social hierarchy. The adult female and juvenile proboscis monkeys don't have this large nose.

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These monkeys prefer areas where mangroves and swamps border rivers. They swim to cross these rivers when they are held at bay, and they'll always choose quiet, less dangerous times to complete their journey. The wetland environments around river banks has a lot of food sources but it also has dangerous animals like crocodiles and other potential dangers.

They depend primarily on leaves as food and on seeds and fruit. But one thing about the fruits is that it gives stomach problems to the adult males and so the fruits must be unripened before they eat.

The adult males will mostly travel in groups, eating for a number of hours and resting for a while after, then continue moving.

You might see the nose of the proboscis monkey as being large or being unattractive, but for the proboscis monkey, the nose does serve a great purpose.

We still don't know for sure if mangrove wetlands are chosen as habitats by proboscis monkeys based on their ecological needs or because of the destruction of a previous habitat. But what we do know for sure is that the ecosystems occupied by the proboscis monkeys in Borneo are shrinking. Proboscis monkeys play a critical role in the ecology of Borneo by breaking down the fibrous structure of leaves and spreading seeds throughout their environment.

Proboscis monkeys spend more time resting than would be expected. The reason for this is due to the amount of fibrous vegetation these guys eat. They need time to rest to satisfy their energy needs from processing their diet.