Fun Macaque Monkey Facts For Kids

Macaques are a form of primate that lives in a range of places. They are found in different kinds of habitats in Asia, Northern Africa, and Gibraltar. Their genus constitutes of old world monkeys who are gregarious, meaning these animals have social groups and each group has an intricate structure and hierarchy. Each group has 35% adult females, 15% adult males, 30% juveniles, and 20% infants. Their groups are matriarchal in nature.

There are 23 species of macaques that belong to this genus. Some of the macaques are Rhesus macaque, Barbary macaque, Japanese macaque, and the Crab Eating macaque. Most of these species are found in Asia and Northern Africa. However, in only one case, a species is found in Gibraltar. This is known as the Barbary macaque, who originated in Morocco in Northern Africa. Macaques are often found in close association with humans. They live in groups in urban areas and rely on food given to them by people. Macaques often pose a threat to humans, as they carry some severe and often fatal diseases. They also come in the way of wildlife conservation. Some species of the macaques like the Rhesus macaque and Crab Eating macaque are also termed as invasive species. In addition to this, most macaques are victims of decreasing population as well.

To know more about these fascinating species, continue reading! You may also like to check out our articles on pygmy slow loris and eastern lowland gorilla facts.

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What type of animal is a Macaque Monkey?

The macaque monkeys are a kind of monkey. These primates can adapt to a variety of habitats and are very intelligent with distinct social hierarchies.

What class of animal does a Macaque Monkey belong to?

Macaque monkeys belong to the class Mammalia. They are a part of the genus Macaca.

How many Macaque Monkeys are there in the world?

Since Macaque monkeys have 23 different species, their exact population is not known. However, their population trends have been ascertained. While some species like the Japanese macaque monkey (Macaca fuscata) and Formosan rock macaque (Macaca cyclopis) show stable numbers in the population, the common long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis), Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus), and Toque macaque (Macaca tonkeana) among others show decreasing trends in population.

Where does a Macaque Monkey live?

Macaques are a highly adaptable group of primates. They are found in the tropical rain forests in southeast Asia. In some Asian countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan, they can be found in mountainous regions as well. In Morocco, in North Africa, these monkeys are also seen in mountains. Interestingly, these macaques can easily survive in man-made environments as well and can often be found in urban localities. Some macaques are also kept in zoos.

What is a Macaque Monkey's habitat?

Macaques are primates that have adapted themselves to lives in a wide range of habitats. In the wild, these species are mostly seen in tropical rain forests or mountainous areas. These can be either arid mountainous regions or temperate mountainous regions. They are also seen in lowlands and coastal areas. Depending on the presence of trees, they are either arboreal (spends most of the time in trees) or terrestrial. In urban settings, these animals can live near human settlements.

Who do Macaque Monkeys live with?

The monkeys belonging to the genus Macaca, are structured in well-organized groups, where individuals are placed in a definite hierarchy and they all live in troops. Usually, it can be seen that there are 20-50 individuals in groups and they belong to both sexes and have a wide age range. Their social groups are matriarchal in nature. Generally, a few female individuals dominate their groups. However, due to living in close proximity to people, Macaques can also live with humans.

How long does a Macaque Monkey live?

Typically, animals belonging to the macaque species live for about 20-30 years of age.

How do they reproduce?

Since macaques are highly social and intelligent animals, their mating rituals are also very intricate and vary from species to species. For example, in Barbary macaques, the females tend to mate with most of the males in the group. This ensures that all the male macaques care for the infant that is born. In the case of Crab Eating macaques, the males groom the females, as this increases the chance of the females choosing them. In Rhesus macaques, the males and females form a pair bond during the mating season. Usually, they give birth to one infant following a gestation period of about 147-192 days.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status varies for different species of Macaque under the genus Macaca. Under the IUCN's Red List, three species, namely Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata), Farmosan Rock macaque (Macaca cyclopis), and Rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) are denoted as Least Concern. The other species like Lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus), Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus), and Toque macaque (Macaca sinica) are listed as Endangered. Many other species fall under this category as well. The Crab Eating macaque, which is also known as the common long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) has been listed as Vulnerable. The main threats that these macaques face are habitat loss and the wildlife trade.

What do Macaque Monkeys look like?

A macaque is a non-human primate. These animals have arms and legs of equal length. Their body is covered with fur which can either be black or brown. The tail length of macaques depends on the species. Some species of macaques have really long tails, while in some the tail is absent. For example, in Barbary macaques, the tail is missing. The muzzles of macaques are round in appearance. The nostrils can be seen on the upper surface of the muzzle. The head and body length also has a range as well, depending on the species. Their faces usually appear pink or darker brown or black.

How cute are they?

Some species of macaques appear really cute, while some species have a very unique and unusual appearance. Baby macaques always look cute and adorable.

How do they communicate?

Macaques have a wide range of ways through which they communicate. This includes postures, vocalizations, and expressions. Not only can they communicate their own feelings, but are also capable of understanding the other macaque's behavior in a group or otherwise. Their methods of communication have been widely studied. Some of the expressions that they make are lip smacks, signifying peaceful intention, and grimace, signifying submissiveness. They usually put their tails up when alarmed. In terms of vocalizations, they are heard to make threatening sounds like pant-threats and barks.

How big is a Macaque Monkey?

The body length of macaques 16-28 in (41-70 cm). They appear smaller in size when compared to a bonobo, which is also a primate.

How fast can a Macaque Monkey move?

Just like most other monkeys, macaques are also capable of moving at high speeds. Their strong arms and legs help them in making quick movements.

How much does a Macaque Monkey weigh?

Males belonging to this species can weigh anywhere between 12.1-39.7 lb (5.5-18 kg). As for the females, the weight can range between 5.3-28.7 lb (2.4-13 kg).

What are their male and female names of the species?

A male animal and a female animal belonging to this species are known as male macaque and female macaque, respectively.

What would you call a baby Macaque Monkey?

A macaque monkey baby is known as an infant, just like other monkeys.

What do they eat?

Macaques mostly eat seeds, leaves, buds, barks, fruits, and flowers. However, some species like the common long-tailed macaque or Crab Eating macaque are also known to feed on insects and vertebrates of smaller sizes. In Malaysia, the southern pig-tailed macaque monkey also consumes rats. In general, since these animals live in very close contact with humans, and so they also eat food offered to them by people. This includes cooked meals as well!  

Are they loud?

Macaques are considered to be loud since they make a lot of their communication through distinct vocalizations. From when they are infants to adults, macaques rely on various sounds and calls to relay their message.

Would they make a good pet?

Macaques do not tend to be ideal pets. Apart from the fact that they carry life-threatening diseases, their requirements are also quite complex. If not provided with adequate care, they can have behavioral issues due to stress. These monkeys are also very wild and aggressive in nature and cannot be easily domesticated. Adult macaques are infamous for their bad temperament and misbehavior. It would not be advised to keep these social primates as pets, but rather leave them in their natural habitat.

Did you know...

Among all the non-human primates, the geographical range of macaques is said to be the widest.

Animals belonging to these species also have a pouch in their cheeks. They use this pouch to store and carry food. They are also very adept at stealing food.  

While males belonging to this species tend to leave their group in which they were born, the females stay back and continue their life in the same social group.

These animals are also capable of swimming.

The Rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) or the Rhesus monkey is extensively used in scientific and medical research. The Rhesus macaques' blood group which has the rhesus factor led scientists to make a significant discovery about the human blood groups. The current population of Rhesus macaques is marked as unknown under IUCN.

In 2018, scientists from China created two clones of the Crab Eating species. These two monkeys were named Hua Hua and Zhong Zhong.

Are Macaque Monkeys endangered?

Out of the 23 species of macaques, only three are of Least Concern. The remaining 20 fall under the categories of Critically Endangered (2), Vulnerable (10), Endangered (6), and Near Threatened (2). The main cause of their declining population is habitat loss. They are also victims of poaching and illegal wildlife trades. This has caused their number to dwindle in the wild.

What are 3 interesting facts about monkeys?

In India, in southeast Asia, macaques are often worshiped. Hence, they are seen near temples and similar religious places, where people hand out food items to them.

Since the social structure of macaques is matriarchal, they display matrilineal kinship.

Nearly all of the Rhesus macaques have hepatitis B virus. This virus is not harmful to them but can transmit to humans.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals including mangabey, or Japanese macaque.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our Macaque Monkey coloring pages.

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