info Announcement 1 of 6:

The following Park Experiences are temporarily suspended due to safe distancing measures:
Elephant Presentation  |  Keepers' Chit Chat 

info Announcement 2 of 6:

The Wet Play Area at KidzWorld is temporarily closed due to safe distancing measures. Pony rides, Falabella grooming and Rabbit petting at Buddy Barn at KidzWorld are temporarily suspended due to safe distancing measures.

info Announcement 3 of 6:

Our shows are operating at limited capacity as part of the necessary Safe Management Measures. We seek your understanding that once full, we will be unable to accept more guests.

info Announcement 4 of 6:

The following exhibit will be closed due to upgrading works:
Frozen Tundra (Until further notice) | White Tiger (10 Mar 21 from 1pm onwards)

info Announcement 5 of 6:

There will be a Bi-Annual Emergency Drill on 8 - 9 Mar 21. The following park experiences will operate from 10.30am onwards:
Rainforest Kidzworld  |  Wild Animal Carousel  |  Tram Services

info Announcement 6 of 6:

You can now book seats for animal shows! Booking portal opens 90 minutes before show time, and can only be accessed onsite. Find out more

  • Wildlife Reserves Singapore
  • Jurong Bird Park
  • Night Safari
  • River Safari
  • Get involved
  • Events and Venues
  • English
    • English
    • 简体中文
  • EN
    • EN
    • 简体中文
    • My memberships
    • Update Profile
    • Change Password
    • Logout
    • My memberships
    • Update Profile
    • Change Password
    • Logout
  • Search
icon

You're now logged out!

Buy tickets
Menu
Close
  • Plan your visit
    • Getting around Singapore Zoo
    • Singapore Zoo map
    • Getting here
    • Tips & Services
  • What's on
  • Animals & Zones
  • Things to do
    • Shows
    • Activities
    • Dine & shop
    • Park ProTips
  • Learning with us
    • Virtual Offerings
    • Resources
    • Mother Tongue Language Resources
    • Programmes & Activities
    • Prepare for your visit
  • Be a member
  • Buy tickets
  • Be a member
  • Plan your visit
    • Getting around Singapore Zoo
    • Singapore Zoo map
    • Getting here
    • Tips & Services
  • What's on
  • Animals & Zones
  • Things to do
    • Shows
    • Activities
    • Dine & shop
    • Park ProTips
  • Learning with us
    • Virtual Offerings
    • Resources
    • Mother Tongue Language Resources
    • Programmes & Activities
    • Prepare for your visit
  • Get involved
  • Events and Venues
Wildlife Reserves Singapore Group
  • bird-park
  • night-safari
  • river-safari
  • singapore-zoo
  • Singapore Zoo
  • Animals & Zones
  • Proboscis Monkey

Proboscis monkey

  • Quick Facts
  • Get to Know
  • Protecting Wildlife
  • Visit Us

Quick facts

Lifespan

Lifespan

13 years under human care

leaves

Diet

Mainly leaves. Also non-sweet fruit and seeds.

Habitat

Habitat

Mangrove forest along rivers and estuaries, swamps and lowland rainforest

range

Range

Borneo

Share on

The proboscis monkeys

Big noses, big tummies

Big noses, big tummies

Their pendulous noses and pot-bellied stomachs may seem outlandish but are useful adaptations to their swamp surroundings. Their ‘paunches’ contain an array of bacteria, which help break down plant cellulose and deactivate the toxins in some of the leaves. The protruding nose of the males helps resonate their calls through the forest. The bigger the nose, the more attractive he is to females! It grows so big he has to push it aside while feeding.
Good swimmers

Good swimmers

Primarily arboreal, they are never more than 600 m from a river. They move through the trees using all four limbs and will leap out of the trees into the water. They are capable of swimming 20 m underwater. They may cross rivers by swimming if alone or they may cross by jumping from a tree on one bank to one on the other side at narrow points of the river if in a group. Webbing between their digits aids them in swimming.
Picky Eaters

Picky Eaters

Very few zoos have proboscis monkeys because of their special dietary needs. The monkeys are picky eaters – they eat leaves from certain plants only, and only shoots and young leaves. Our keepers provide the proboscis monkeys with 80kg of fresh leaves daily to pick and choose. The leaves are collected from three to four different plant species around the Zoo. For a balanced diet, ‘toppings’ such as primate pellets, corn, fruits and vegetables are added to the ‘salad’.

Together, we protect wildlife

Poster boy

Poster boy

Cyrano, our big-nosed dominant male, recently became the 6,000th species to be photographed under an effort by the National Geographic. The project was started to raise awareness of conservation issues by creating portraits of every animal under human care. It aims to complete 12,000 portraits.

The IUCN Status

EN

Endangered

At very high risk of extinction in the wild

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is widely recognized as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species.

DD

Data Deficient

Unknown risk of extinction

LC

Least Concern

At relatively low risk of extinction

NT

Near Threatened

Likely to become vulnerable in the near future

VU

Vulnerable

At high risk of extinction in the wild

EN

Endangered

At very high risk of extinction in the wild

CR

Critically Endangered

At extremely high risk of extinction in the wild

EW

Extinct in the Wild

Survives only in captivity

EX

Extinct

No surviving individuals in the wild or in captivity

Visit us

photo
50¢ from every ticket purchased goes towards wildlife conservation in the region
Singapore Zoo
Buy Now

You might also like

Zebra
Zebra
Fragile Forest
Fragile Forest
White tiger
White tiger
Rainforest Fights Back Show
Rainforest Fights Back Show
Wildlife Reserves Singapore Group
  • Jurong Bird Park
  • Night Safari
  • River Safari
  • Singapore Zoo

Need help?

  • Contact us
  • FAQ
  • Temporary closures

About us

  • About Singapore Zoo
  • About Wildlife Reserves Singapore
  • Our policies

Events and Venues

  • Plan an event
  • View venues

Get involved

  • Partner with us

Careers

  • We're hiring!

Press

  • Press room

Opening hours

8.30am - 6.00pm (Last entry at 5.00pm)

We're open every day of the year.

Address

80 Mandai Lake Road Singapore 729826

Follow us

© Copyright 2020, Wildlife Reserves Singapore Group. All rights reserved.

Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari, River Safari, Singapore Zoo and Wildlife Reserves Singapore are trademarks or registered trademarks of WRS Group in Singapore and/or other countries.
  • Terms & conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Data protection policy