Data for habitat use of the white-headed langurs

Understanding how primate species cope with habitat-specific environmental factors can assist in conservation management. We studied the habitat use of four groups (two larger groups and two small groups) of white-headed langurs (<i>Trachypithecus leucocephalus</i>) living in the forest of southwest Guangxi, China between September 2016 and February 2017. Our results showed that the langurs primarily used hillsides (55.91% ± 6.47%), followed by cliffs (29.70% ± 5.48%), hilltops (7.26% ± 3.55%), flat zones (6.99% ± 6.58%), and farmland (0.14% ± 0.28%). During moving, the langurs moved most frequently in hillsides (49.35% ± 6.97%) and cliffs (35.60% ± 9.17%). The hillsides were more frequently used (66.94% ± 7.86%) during feeding. When resting, the langurs occurred more frequently in hillsides (49.75% ± 8.16%) and cliffs (38.93% ± 8.02%). Their use of habitat reflected the balancing of foraging needs, thermoregulation, and predator avoidance across group sizes and seasonal variation. When feeding, they increased the use of hilltops during the rainy season, and the cliffs were more frequently used during the dry season. The larger langur group used cliffs more frequently when moving and resting. The small langur group used hillsides more frequently while resting. While feeding, the langurs in both the large and small groups used the flat zones less frequently. Our findings underline the importance of these ecological factors on habitat use for white-headed langurs and the need to understand how ecological seasonality and group sizes impact their behaviors in the limestone forest.