Macaque

Macaque

The Macaque is a genus of Old World monkeys of the subfamily Cercopithecinae. The 23 species of macaques inhabit ranges throughout Asia, North Africa, and (in one instance) Gibraltar. Macaques are principally frugivorous, although their diet also includes seeds, leaves, flowers, and tree bark. Some species, such as the Crab-eating Macaque, subsist on a diet of invertebrates and occasionally small vertebrates.

Taxonomy

The genus Macaque is divided into the following species:

• Lion-tailed Macaque
• Barbary Macaque
• Bonnet Macaque
• Toque Macaque
• Crab-eating Macaque
• Rhesus Macaque
• Japanese Macaque
• Tibetan Macaque
• Formosan Rock Macaque
• Stump-tailed Macaque
• Pig-tailed Macaque
• Celebes Crested Macaque
• Moor Macaque
• Gorontalo Macaque
• Booted Macaque
• Tonkean Macaque
• Heck's Macaque
• Pagai Island Macaque
• Siberut Macaque
• Southern Pig-tailed Macaque
• Northern Pig-tailed Macaque
• Indochinese Rhesus Macaque
• Annulated Rhesus Macaque

Behavior

Macaques are known to exhibit a great deal of social behavior and communication. They live in matrilineal social groups with a clear dominance hierarchy. Male macaques leave their natal groups at adolescence and move in and out of other groups. Groups may number from a few individuals in some species, to hundreds in others.

Conservation

Many species of macaques are considered to be threatened. The primary threats to macaques include habitat loss and hunting. Some macaque species are considered to be agricultural pests, and are often killed in retaliation or to prevent crop damage.

See also

• List of Old World monkey species
• Primate

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