Placeholder — replace: red leaf monkey in the mid-storeyWildlife of Danum · The maroon flash
Red leaf monkey
Presbytis rubicunda
A langur the colour of rust, crashing through the mid-storey in family groups — Danum's most photographed primate after the orangutan.
The animal
Meet the red leaf monkey
The red leaf monkey is the sighting that makes new visitors gasp and guides smile: a whole troop the colour of brick dust, leaping between trees with tails streaming, infants clamped on underneath. They're leaf-eaters, so they don't need the fig calendar the orangutans follow — they're simply around, most days, along most trails.
Photographers: overcast light makes that maroon coat glow. Everyone else: just enjoy the crossing — a troop taking the same gap one after another is the forest's version of a procession.
Where to see it in Danum
Trail edges and the river corridor around both forest lodges; they tolerate quiet observers well, so encounters are often long ones.
When & how
Year-round and unfussy — one of Danum's most dependable mammals. Mornings and late afternoons are the active hours.
See it on these
- Wildlife watching — the wider daily cast
- Guided treks — trail-edge encounters
- Young Naturalists — 5D4N — children adore them
Placeholder — replace: troop at a crossing point
Placeholder — replace: feeding on young leaves
Placeholder — replace: trail-edge habitatPlan your trip
Enquire directly
Tell us the species on your list and your dates — sightings are wild and never guaranteed, but we know where the odds live.