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About Monkeys

Macaques

Macaques are Old World monkeys.

Capuchin Monkey Classification:

Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: Cercopithecidae
Genus: Macaca

Other Names: Black Ape, Celebes Ape, Celebes Black Ape,

Macaque in Foreign Languages:

Bantu: Makaku
Czech: Makak
Dutch: Makaak
Finnish: Makaki
French: Macaque
German: Makak / Makake
Greek: Makakos
Irish: Meacaic
Portuguese: Macaco
Romanian: Macac
Russian: Makaka

Species: There are several species of Macaque.

Macaque Species Include:

Barbary Macaque - Macaca Sylvanus
Lion-tailed Macaque - Macaca Silenus
Southern pig-tailed macaque (aka Beruk) - Macaca Nemestrina
Northern Pig-tailed Macaque - Macaca Leonina
Pagai Island Macaque - Macaca Pagensis
Siberut Macaque - Macaca Siberu
Moor Macaque - Macaca Maura
Booted Macaque - Macaca Ochreata
Tonkean Macaque - Macaca Tonkeana
Heck's Macaque - Macaca Hecki
Gorontalo Macaque - Macaca Nigriscens
Celebes Crested Macaque - Macaca Nigra
Crab-eating Macaque - Macaca Fascicularis
Stump-tailed Macaque - Macaca Arctoides
Rhesus Macaque - Macaca Mulatta
Formosan Rock Macaque - Macaca Cyclopis
Japanese Macaque - Macaca Fuscata
Toque Macaque - Macaca Sinica
Bonnet Macaque - Macaca Radiata
Assam Macaque - Macaca Assamensis
Tibetan Macaque - Macaca Thibetana
Arunachal Macaque - Macaca Munzala

Size: Male macaques measure 1.7-1.8 feet and weigh around 22 lbs. Female macaques measure 1.4 to 1.8 feet long and they weigh around 12 lbs. The size will vary from species to species.

Habitat: Macaques are one of the most widely distributed genus of nonhuman primates. Macaques are primarily found in Asia, from Afghanistan to China and Japan to Southeast Asia, including the Philippines and Borneo. One species of macaque is found in Northern Africa and Gibraltar.

Description: Macaques have cheek pouches in which they can store food. Macaques have close-set nostrils that are downward. Some macaque species have a very short stump for a tail, those that have a long tail it is not prehensile.

Behavior: Macaques will spend hours grooming each other. Macaques are primarily terrestrial spending the majority of their time on the ground.

Diet: Macaques exist on a diet of fruit, berries, grains, leaves, insects, and occasionally small vertebrates.

Communication: Macaques use facial expressions, body language and vocalizations to communicate.

Did You Know?
Macaques play an important role in their ecosystem as a seed disperser.

Gestation: Macaques carry their young for approximately 155 days.

Birth: Baby macaques are generally nursed until they are 10 to 12 months of age.

Sexually Mature: Female macaques reach sexual maturity around 5 years of age. Male macaques reach sexual mature around the age of 8. Macaques give birth every 1-2 years.

Life Span: Macaques live 25-30 years in the wild. Macaques will live 40 years or more in captivity.

Did You Know?

More than 73% of the macaques in captivity are carriers of the herpes B virus. The virus does not harm macaques but can infect humans.

Social Structure: Macaques have an intricate social structure and hierarchy within their troops. The troop is led by an alpha male and consists of 10-20 members, with females and their offsprint. There are also troops that contain all adolescent males.

Unusual: Because of the Macaques similarities to humans, in their genetic makeup, immunological, neurological, and reproductive systems, Macaques are frequently used by scientists in medical and scientific research.


Macaques

Conservation Status:














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