Our next stop in our notebooking safari across Asia takes us to the tiny nation of Brunei. If you’re new to the notebooking safari, visit our first stop here.

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Are you ready to see one of the most unique animals in the entire world? They are called proboscis monkeys. Come with me into the jungle and I’ll see if I can spot them for you. You should probably bring a pair of binoculars with you; these animals like to climb high up into the trees.

We’ll take my boat and follow the river for a little while. Just make sure you keep your arms and legs inside the boat—there are crocodiles in this river!

Do you see that spot up ahead, where it looks like the palm leaves are so thick you couldn’t possibly squeeze through? I know a way we can take the boat in between those leaves. That’s where we’ll hide and watch for the proboscis monkeys.

Proboscis monkeys only live in the wild here, on the island of Borneo. That means that, except for the ones who live in zoos, you will only find them in the three countries that share this island: Brunei, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

Wait—did you hear that honk? That’s the proboscis monkey. I just heard a few more. It sounds like they are coming to the river. Look—up there in the treetops. That monkey with the huge nose is a proboscis. Oh, and look over there in that other tree, the one that reaches out over the water so far. There’s a mother proboscis monkey with her baby hanging on tight underneath her as she climbs. It looks like she wants to leap to the trees on the other side of the river. She keeps climbing out further and further.

She’s getting ready to jump. She jumped! Oh, no, she didn’t quite make it across. Now she’s in the river. It’s OK, though, she can swim, even with the baby holding on. She just has to hurry so the crocodiles don’t catch up to her!

You can watch some proboscis monkeys eating and climbing here. You can even hear their honking sound if you listen closely.

Use this website to answer the following questions:

True or False: 

1. Proboscis monkeys can swim very well.

2. Proboscis monkeys love to eat ripe fruit.

3. A proboscis monkey can weigh up to 50 pounds (22.5 kg).

Research challenge: What do proboscis monkeys have in their stomach that helps them digest the seeds, leaves, and fruits they eat?

For a free downloadable copy of the entire Asian animals notebooking safari series (31 units total) plus a notebooking page for each one, sign up below.