Common macaques. Japanese macaque
Niramin - Feb 6th, 2016
Magot or Maghreb macaque (lat. Macaca sylvanus) - belongs to the macaques of the marmoset family. This is a unique monkey without a tail, which lives on the rocks of the African continent and Gibraltar and can withstand frosts down to -10 degrees Celsius.
Individuals reach 80 cm in length, weigh up to 15 kg. The coat is thick brown with a reddish tint. They live in coniferous and mixed forests, feed on seeds, shoots of coniferous trees and oaks, edible rhizomes, cereals, and insects.
They live in groups of 15-30 monkeys in their own permanent territory, there are several males in the herd who adhere to a certain hierarchy and try not to come into direct contact with each other. An interesting feature: if a conflict is brewing between two males, it is enough for one of them to show the cub in order for peace to reign again. In this case, they will take care of the baby: they will comb it out and entertain it.
Magots reach sexual maturity at 4.5 years. Life expectancy - 25 years. They tolerate hardship well. They have a cheerful disposition. Females find a couple, focusing on the paternal qualities of the candidate. Pregnancy lasts about six months, there is usually one cub in the litter.
Scientists are interested in the question: how exactly did the Maghreb macaques move from North Africa to Gibraltar. There is no single answer. There are two versions: one is quite fantastic, it says that the monkeys passed through an underground passage under the Strait of Gibraltar, which allegedly connects Africa and the south of the Iberian Peninsula. According to the second version, the Maghrebs were brought to Gibraltar by seafarers in the 18th century.
According to legend, as long as these monkeys live on the rocks of Gibraltar, it will be under the control of the British. The British take this belief very "seriously" and patronize the Maghreb macaques. The British military feed and restore the population of monkeys.
Maghreb macaques in beautiful photos below:
Photo: Magot high on a tree.
Video: Magot Macaque
Video: Barbary Macaques
Video: Monkeys in Gibraltar Gibraltar monkeys
Video: Gibraltar magots and stupid people
No animal arouses as much interest in people as monkeys. And all because they are our closest relatives, both physiologically and intellectually. Monkeys make up a separate infraorder of the Apes in the order of Primates. Among primitive animals, their close relatives are tarsiers, lemurs, tupai, lorises, mites, and insectivorous mammals are distant. This relationship debunks one of the most enduring myths about monkeys as the most perfect creatures on the planet. In reality, they have only a developed intellect, which is due to the specifics of the environment of their existence, but the physiology of monkeys is at a rather primitive level.
Crested macaque, or crested baboon (Macaca nigra) - the first species of monkeys that entered the history of mankind as the author of a selfie.
The body sizes of these animals vary widely: the smallest monkey - the pygmy marmoset - weighs only 100-150 g, and the largest are gorillas, whose weight can reach 140-200 kg. Male orangutans almost keep up with them, whose weight in rare cases can reach up to 180 kg (their females are much smaller).
Dwarf marmosets (Cebuella pygmaea).
It is clear that such a difference in size could not but affect the appearance. If you look for common features in monkeys, then they are united by a rounded skull that contains a large brain; small size of fixed ears; superciliary arches outlining the eye sockets; large eyes adapted to see in daylight; short movable neck; muscular long limbs. It is characteristic that all monkeys have a clavicle - a bone that allows their forelimbs to move in different directions, unlike the paws of terrestrial tetrapods, which are able to move mainly in the "back and forth" direction.
In primitive New World broad-nosed monkeys, the facial part of the skull is relatively poorly developed, so their muzzles are flat. In the more advanced narrow-nosed monkeys of the Old World, the jaws protrude noticeably forward, for example, in baboons that do not disdain hunting, this gives an almost dog-like appearance.
The male hamadryas (Papio hamadryas) yawns to show off his teeth to rivals. Such a grin is often used by baboons to bloodlessly strengthen discipline.
Broad-nosed and narrow-nosed monkeys are called not so much by the size of the nose, but by the direction of the nostrils: in the broad-nosed they are set apart, and in the narrow-nosed they are directed forward. In males, the nose is similar to a cucumber - it acts as a resonator, while in females of this species, the noses are short and upturned.
Male proboscis, or kahau (Nasalis larvatus).
Very short noses with nostrils directed almost upwards in rhinopithecines.
Male black rhinopithecus (Rhinopithecus bieti).
Compared to other animals, monkeys have well-developed facial muscles, since their grimaces perform a communicative function. The vision of these primates is binocular and color, which allows you to quickly determine the distance to objects and accurately identify them. Such vision is vital for the inhabitants of high crowns, feeding on a variety of fruits, leaves, and sometimes small animals.
The front paws of monkeys are five-fingered, with the first (thumb) toe set aside, which allows them to wrap around tree branches and manipulate objects. To obtain food, monkeys use tools, such as stones, twigs, rolled leaves, with which they break nuts, pull out ants, scoop up water, etc.
The brown black-headed capuchin or faun (Cebus apella) uses a heavy stone to crush the shell of a hard nut.
However, in some tree monkeys, the first toe can be reduced, in which case the paw is used as a hook, that is, the animal hangs on a branch, holding on to it with all four fingers. The hind legs of monkeys also have a set finger: on the one hand, this allows them to more effectively hold on to branches, and on the other hand, it does not interfere with walking and running on the ground. By the way, monkeys move, leaning on the entire surface of their palms and soles, and only great apes (orangutans, gorillas, gibbons, chimpanzees) bend their fingers on their palms while walking, leaning on their back side.
Monkey fingers end in nails; in small tree monkeys, they sometimes have an arched shape, which makes them look like claws from the side.
The tail is perhaps the most variable organ of monkeys. In anthropoid primates and macaques, it is completely absent, in pig-tailed macaques it is short and does not play any role in movement, in other species it is long, but functions differently. For example, the monkeys of the Old World use it as a balance while jumping (and the monkey hussars also rely on it when they stand), but among the broad-nosed monkeys there are many species with an extremely tenacious tail. Its underside is bare and has papillary lines like fingerprints, and the tail itself is very flexible and strong. All this allows its owner to wrap his tail around the branches, literally feeling their surface, and also hang on it. It is not for nothing that woolly, reddish and spider monkeys are sometimes called five-armed, implying that the tail replaces them with an additional limb. True, the smallest monkeys (marmosets, marmosets, tamarins) have a long tail that is not at all muscular, these species use it like squirrels, like a steering wheel when jumping.
Red-haired monkey (Brachyteles hypoxanthus) with a cub moves over an air bridge between trees.
Monkeys are characterized by thick hair without undercoat, but at the same time their palms, feet and partly their face are always bare. In some species, other parts of the body are also naked: in geladas, the skin on the chest, in all baboons, ischial calluses, in uakari, the skull.
Baboon or yellow baboon (Papio cynocephalus) showing black ischial calluses. In other species of baboons, these body parts are usually red in color.
Skin color in different species can be flesh, bright red, blue, black, or even multi-colored, like a mandrill.
The unusual skin texture of the Nemean thin-bodied (Pygathrix nemaeus) makes it look like a doll.
The coat of monkeys is often colored black, brown, gray, a few species are characterized by variegated coloration.
Nemean thinbodies are also among the most brightly colored monkeys.
Many species have decorations in the form of elongated hair growing on the head, face, neck, shoulders and forming, respectively, a lush head of hair, a beard and mustache, a “hood”, a mane. Such ornaments may be peculiar only to males (for example, the mane of baboons) or to both sexes (for example, the mustache of the imperial saguina).
Imperial saguins (Saguinus imperator).
In general, monkeys are characterized by sexual dimorphism, which is reduced to a brighter color and larger size of males. However, it is expressed differently in different species. As a rule, the strongest differences between males and females can be observed in polygamous species with a strong dominance of the leader (baboons, proboscis), less clear - in gregarious monkeys with less aggressive males (gorillas, macaques), and very insignificant - in monkeys living in pairs. , where the male and female equally take care of the offspring (marmosets, marmosets, tamarins).
Family of Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana).
All monkeys are heat-loving animals living in the equatorial, tropical and subtropical zones of Asia, Africa, South and Central America. In Europe, monkeys are known only in the extreme southwest of the continent - at Cape Gibraltar. Magots live here, but they also came to Europe with the help of a man from their historical homeland - North Africa. The other extreme northern habitat of these primates is on the Japanese Islands. Here, Japanese macaques have managed to populate even islands with a temperate climate, where a lot of snow falls in winter. True, it is not the skin that helps them overcome frosts, but their intellect - these monkeys have learned to warm themselves in hot springs, where they spend almost the entire winter day.
Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata), warming themselves in the water, are simultaneously engaged in daily activities: they eat, sort each other's wool. This group indulges in a midday nap.
The monkeys' favorite habitats are dense forests with many fruit trees. Few species have mastered dry woodlands (monkeys), savannahs (baboons), rocky slopes (magots, geladas).
A flock of langurs hide from torrents flowing down a rocky slope in the Thar Desert. Most monkeys do not like water and even swim only when absolutely necessary.
All monkeys are herbivorous to some degree. Some of them adhere to an exclusively vegetarian diet, eating the fruits of trees, leaves, young shoots, seeds, such species include orangutans, gorillas, and howler monkeys. Others replenish protein reserves in the body, periodically eating eggs and chicks, small lizards, crabs. These species include macaques, monkeys, marmosets. Finally, meat plays a significant role in the diet of baboons, sometimes these monkeys even catch such large animals as cubs of gazelles and small antelopes.
A baboon with a baby gazelle he killed.
The nature of the diet leaves its mark on the way of life. Herbivorous marmosets, marmosets and gibbons live in pairs or small families, including close relatives (older children, grandparents). These monkeys are very peaceful, they do not like fights, they mark the territory either with urine (marmosets) or with special songs (gibbons).
The jointed gibbon, or siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus) performs a morning song. The bag under his throat serves as a resonator for him, amplifying the sound.
Very calm herbivorous orangutans living alone, and gorillas with small harems. But these species, on occasion, can fend for themselves. Schooling species have a higher level of aggression. For example, howler monkeys protect their possessions and females with deafening cries, and the voices of these monkeys are the loudest sounds made by animals!
Black howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya) guard the borders of their territory.
Moderately pugnacious omnivorous monkeys, macaques, even more aggressive baboons. Flocks of these monkeys have a leader male, to whom all the rest obey. Young males can get along with him only under the condition of full submission, otherwise they will have to learn the strength of his bites on their own skin. Females play the role of disenfranchised concubines, the fate of each of them depends on the taste of the leader: the favorites receive maximum care and food, the rest are forced to be content with the remnants from the table of the stronger and more successful. In chimpanzees, intra-pack aggression is removed either by sexual contact or by organized warfare against another pack. In the latter case, the winners can taste the meat of the vanquished. By the way, chimpanzees are the only monkeys that prey on other monkeys. And it's not only about clan differences, but also about monkeys, regularly falling into the teeth of large "brothers".
Two male baboons got into a fight. Teenagers felt whose will take, and immediately supported the strong. Although their participation in the battle is symbolic, such training will allow them to gain the necessary experience and confidence in order to claim leadership themselves in the future.
Regardless of the level of relationships within the flock, the communication of monkeys is accompanied by complex forms of behavior. These animals are not alien to such feelings as friendship, love, envy, resentment, rancor, cunning, anger, grief and empathy.
This female chakma, or bear baboon (Papio ursinus), has lost a cub, but even after his death she continues to carry the baby's body on her back until the corpse is completely decomposed.
In case of danger, their calls not only indicate an approaching threat, but accurately identify it: there are separate signals denoting a leopard, poisonous snakes, a python, an ape-eating eagle, an armed and an unarmed person. Thus, monkeys have a primitive speech, in which at least nouns are present. In captivity, monkeys cannot reproduce human speech due to the difference in the structure of the vocal cords, but they are quite capable of mastering the language of gestures or signals.
Gorilla Koko, who knew sign language, explained to her caretakers that she wanted to have a cub. But since scientists did not allow her to mate, their ward was allowed to adopt a kitten. Koko was very attached to the adopted baby and cried when she had to be separated from him.
Monkeys do not have a specific breeding season. Mating takes place all year round. The female usually gives birth to one baby, rarely two (twins are more common in tamarins). A newborn is born sighted, covered with short hair, but helpless. At first, he hangs on his mother's stomach, later he moves onto her back. Childbirth takes place in a flock and attracts increased attention to the young mother, her social status rises for some time. Male marmosets and tamarins give birth to females and even eat the placenta, subsequently they take an active part in raising offspring: they carry the baby on themselves, and give it to their mothers only for feeding. Males of other monkeys take care of the young, allowing babies and teenagers more than ordinary members of the pack are allowed, but they do not show much attention to their own children. The childhood of monkeys is relatively long, which is due to complex behaviors - in order to gain the necessary experience, babies will have to watch adults and play with each other for a long time.
Baby gorillas and chimpanzees explore the world around them together. Although such a meeting is impossible in nature, in captivity the kids quickly found a common language.
Large monkeys have no natural enemies, only chimpanzees, as mentioned above, can die from the paws and stones of a neighboring flock. Things are different in medium and small monkeys. Their enemies are primarily wild cats (leopard, jaguar, less often - a lion or a tiger), all kinds of snakes, especially pythons and boas. At a watering place, they can fall into the mouth of a crocodile. In South America and on the islands of the Philippine archipelago, monkey-eating eagles prey on monkeys. Their name eloquently makes it clear that they have achieved perfection in catching primates. However, danger from the air can lie in wait for monkeys in other parts of the world, where they can be attacked by kites, hawks and crowned eagles.
A crowned eagle (Stephanoaetus coronatus) caught a monkey.
Monkeys are prone to human infections such as tonsillitis, influenza, tuberculosis, herpes, hepatitis, rabies, measles, so in areas of mass tourism they are protected from contact with strangers.
This baby gorilla was rescued from the hands of animal dealers in the Congo. While the orphan is getting used to a new home, the workers of the rehabilitation center wear masks so as not to infect the baby with human infections.
But human impact on these animals is not limited to passive transmission of infections. Since ancient times, people have hunted monkeys: the natives ate their meat, more developed peoples simply destroyed them as pests of agriculture, raiding fields and plantations, white colonialists killed the Gverets for their beautiful fur, the paws of gorillas were used to make souvenirs. Finally, with the advent of the "love of animals" fashion, many species of monkeys have become desirable pets. This demand began to be satisfied by thousands of poachers around the world, catching monkeys in nature for resale. As a result, many species of monkeys are on the verge of extinction and are listed in the International Red Book.
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Why are monkeys so good at climbing trees?
Most primates of the order of mammals, which include prosimians and monkeys, including anthropoids, are well adapted to climbing. In almost all species, the forelimbs are longer than the hind limbs. The reliability of the girth of a branch and other rounded objects is ensured by opposing the first finger to the rest. Powerful hind limbs with large feet help the monkeys to jump and maintain balance while walking. In some New World monkeys, the tail serves as a kind of fifth limb.
To move from tree to tree, primates do not need to descend to the ground. The long forelimbs of the gibbon with very long fingers make it difficult to move on the ground, but with their help this acrobat monkey quickly flies through the trees, intercepting the branches with one or the other hand.
Why does a monkey have a tail?
Great apes - gibbons, orangutans, gorillas and chimpanzees - are tailless. In other monkeys, the length of the tail usually correlates with the length of the body, although in some large species, such as mandrills, the tail is very short, resembling a stump.
In different species of monkeys, the tail can perform different functions: serve as a balancer, a device for flight, or an additional arm. Thin-bodied monkeys, mangabeys and monkey-hussars, flying from tree to tree, use their hairy tail as a rudder or aerodynamic brake, and on the ground it serves as a prop for them. The lower surface of the tip of the tail of howler monkeys, coats and woolly monkeys is devoid of hair, but it does have tactile ridges. Koata wields his tail so deftly that he can pick up a small nut with it, but at the same time this tail is able to support the weight of a monkey.
Are gorillas evil
Many animals have been stereotyped based on their appearance, but few have been as unlucky as the gorilla in this regard. Long-term observations of this rapidly disappearing species of monkeys show that gorillas are not at all fierce animals, but peaceful vegetarians; they spend most of their time playing, resting and looking for food.
Despite its large size, impressive fangs and menacing roar, the male gorilla is more intimidating than attacking. In an excited state, he beats his chest, makes a number of different sounds, stuffs his mouth with leaves and branches, and, rising to his full height, breaking young trees, goes on an attack, which almost always ends before he reaches the enemy. This behavior tends to scare off intruders - be it gorillas, other large animals, or humans.
carnivorous monkeys
While most monkeys primarily eat nuts, fruits, and other plant foods, many also eat insects, eggs, and small lizards. African chimpanzees have been reported to frequently eat baby antelope, bush pigs, and red fat bodies (colobus). In Tanzania's Gombe National Park, male chimpanzees hunt in groups and kill up to 60-70 animals annually.
Why do monkeys search and scratch each other?
Some primates spend several hours a day removing skin flakes, insects and other debris from each other's fur. This behavior, known as grooming, serves a more social than hygienic function. Among animals such as chimpanzees and baboons that live in large groups, grooming helps to strengthen friendships; it is often resorted to in order to appease a male who occupies a dominant position in the herd or is aggressive.
How do monkeys learn?
In the primate community, the basic unit, both in terms of learning and in other respects, is the mother and cubs. Mothers feed their babies, keep them warm, protect them from danger and, at least initially, serve as a means of transportation for them. Monkey cubs very early begin to understand the signals that the mother gives with gestures and voice.
Under the supervision of their mother, they first move on low branches, gradually rising higher and higher. When cubs are weaned, some adult monkeys try different foods in front of them, showing what can and cannot be eaten. In lower apes, babies mature earlier than in anthropoids, and therefore they have less time to learn. For example, koats spend only 6 months with their mother; orangutans - 3-4 years, and chimpanzees - 5-6 years.
Different primates live in different plant layers. Small leaf-eating monkeys stay at the top of the canopy; monkeys with a more varied diet, such as macaques and capuchins, occupy the space between the middle of the trees and the forest floor.
Naturally, not all monkeys are equally good at climbing trees. Small red fat-bodies feast on leaves and flowers on the tops of trees, and 30 m below an adult male gorilla can eat leaves and young shoots while standing on the ground. But female gorillas, which are smaller than males, and cubs climb trees in search of food, as well as to play and relax. Great apes rarely sleep on the ground, except perhaps for large gorillas; other monkeys, even those that spend most of the day on the ground, never do so.
Koats cling to branches not only with their hands, but also with their feet and tail. They, like some other South American monkeys, at the tip of the tail, which serves as an additional limb, have a bare area covered with skin scallops, thanks to which they better feel the strength of their grip.
Gibbons, the smallest of the great apes, jump from tree to tree, intercepting branches with one or the other hand. They have long arms and a five-fingered hand adapted for grasping. On the ground, they walk upright, with their arms extended in front of them or raising them above their heads.
Monkeys, of which there are up to 20 species, are one of the most beautiful monkeys. The coloration of monkeys is diverse; in addition, they often have special markings, such as a spot on the nose. Monkeys live in the forests of Africa, with different species occupying different tiers. So, dianas prefer the tops of trees, and hussar monkeys spend daytime on the forest floor.
The northernmost and, logically, the most frost-resistant monkeys live in the Land of the Rising Sun. The scientific name of the species is the Japanese macaque (not the macaque, as we used to say).
Description of the Japanese macaque
To date, 2 subspecies of the Japanese macaque, which is part of the marmoset family, have been described.. These are the Macaca fuscata yakui (with oval eye sockets) exclusive to Yakushima Island and the more numerous Macaca fuscata fuscata (with round eye sockets) inhabiting several other islands.
Appearance
Japanese monkeys look more powerful, strong and heavy compared to other macaques. Males grow to almost a meter (0.8–0.95 m), gaining up to 11 kg. Females are slightly lower and lighter (average weight does not exceed 9 kg). The beard and sideburns, characteristic of both sexes, do not interfere with distinguishing between males and females, since sexual dimorphism is quite pronounced.
By winter, long fur is complemented by growing thick undercoat. The longest hair is observed on the shoulders, forelimbs and back, and the shortest - on the abdomen and chest. The fur is colored differently: from gray-blue to gray-brown and olive with a brown tint. The belly is always lighter than the back and limbs.
Superciliary ridges hang over the eyes, more convex in males. The most developed area of the brain is the cerebral cortex.
This is interesting! The sight of the macaque is extremely developed (in comparison with other sense organs) and is very similar to the human. It is stereoscopic: the monkey estimates the distance and sees a three-dimensional picture.
The Japanese macaque has cheek pouches - two internal skin outgrowths on both sides of the mouth, hanging down to the chin. On the limbs there are five fingers, where the thumb is opposed to the others. Such a palm allows you to both hold objects and easily manipulate them.
The Japanese macaque has small ischial calluses (typical of all marmosets), and the tail does not grow longer than 10 cm. As the monkey grows older, its light skin (on the muzzle and near the tail) becomes rich pink and even red.
Lifestyle, character
The Japanese macaque is active during the day, searching for food in a favorite position on all fours.. Females sit more in trees, while males roam the ground more often. Periods of intense foraging give way to rest, when macaques communicate with each other, take a nap or chew cheek reserves.
Often, at their leisure, animals clean the wool of their relatives. This kind of grooming performs 2 functions, hygienic and social. In the latter case, macaques build and consolidate relationships within the group. So, they clean the fur of the dominant individual for a very long time and carefully, expressing their special respect and, at the same time, hoping for its support in a conflict situation.
Hierarchy
Japanese macaques create a community (10-100 individuals) with a fixed territory, led by a large male, who is distinguished not so much by strength as by intelligence. The rotation of the alpha male is possible in the event of his death or in the event of the breakup of the former group into two. The decision to choose a leader is made by a dominant female or several females related by blood and social ties.
A subordination/dominance scheme also works between females, and it turned out that daughters automatically inherit the status of their mother. In addition, young sisters are one step higher than older sisters.
Daughters, even growing up, do not leave their mothers, while sons leave the family, creating bachelor companies. Sometimes they adjoin foreign groups where there are females, but occupy a low position here.
Sound signals
The Japanese macaque, as a social primate, needs constant communication with relatives and strangers, for which he uses an extensive arsenal of sounds, gestures and facial expressions.
Zoologists have classified 6 types of verbal signals, establishing that half of them are friendly in nature:
- peaceful;
- infant;
- warning;
- protective;
- during the estrus period;
- aggressive.
This is interesting! When moving through the forest and during a meal, Japanese macaques make specific gurgling sounds that help group members determine their location.
Ability to learn
In 1950, biologists at the University of Tokyo decided to train the macaques living on about. Cosima, to yam (sweet potato), scattering it on the ground. In 1952, they were already eating sweet potatoes, cleaning sand and dirt with their paws, until a 1.5-year-old female Imo washed the sweet potato in river water.
Her behavior was copied by her sister and mother, and by 1959, 15 out of 19 young monkeys and 2 out of eleven adult monkeys were rinsing the tubers in the river. In 1962, the habit of washing sweet potatoes before eating became established in almost all Japanese macaques, except for those born before 1950.
Now Japanese macaques can also wash wheat mixed with sand: they throw the mixture into the water, separating both ingredients. Along with this, macaques have learned how to make snowballs. Biologists suggest that this is how they seal excess products in the snow, which they will feast on later.
Lifespan
In nature, Japanese macaques live up to 25-30 years, in captivity - more. In terms of life expectancy, females are slightly ahead of males: the former live (on average) for 32 years, while the latter live for about 28 years.
Range, habitats
The natural range of the Japanese macaque covers three islands - Kyushu, Shikoku and Honshu.
On the island of Yakushima, the southernmost in the archipelago of the Japanese Islands, Macaca fuscata yakui lives, an independent subspecies of macaques. Representatives of this population differ not only in the shape of the eye sockets and shorter fur, but also in some behavioral features.
Tourists who come to see the hardy monkeys often refer to them as snow monkeys.. Indeed, animals have long adapted to snow (which does not melt for about 4 months a year) and cold weather, when the average temperature is kept at -5 ° C.
To save themselves from hypothermia, macaques descend into hot springs. The only disadvantage of such heating is wet wool, which seizes in the cold when leaving the source. And you have to leave the warm “bath” for a regular snack.
This is interesting! The macaques figured out a way out by leaving a couple of "waiters" on land to serve dinner to those sitting in the springs. In addition, basking monkeys are also fed by compassionate tourists.
Snow macaques occupied not only all Japanese forests from the highlands to the subtropics, but also penetrated the North American continent.
In 1972, one of the farmers brought one and a half hundred monkeys to his ranch in the United States, who a few years later found a loophole in the fence and fled. Thus, an autonomous population of Japanese macaques appeared in Texas.
In Japan, these monkeys are recognized as a national treasure and are reverently protected at the state level.
Japanese macaque food
This species of primates is completely illegible in food and does not have pronounced gastronomic preferences. Zoologists have calculated that there are about 213 plant species readily eaten by Japanese macaques.
The menu of monkeys (especially in the cold season) includes:
- shoots and bark of trees;
- leaves and rhizomes;
- nuts and fruits;
- crustaceans, fish and shellfish;
- small vertebrates and insects;
- bird eggs;
- food waste.
If there is a lot of food, the animals use their cheek pouches to stuff them with food in reserve. When lunch time comes, the monkeys settle down to rest and take out food hidden in their cheeks, which is not so easy to do. Normal muscular effort is lacking and the monkeys use their hands to squeeze supplies from the bag into their mouths.
This is interesting! Even when eating, macaques follow a strict hierarchy. The leader is the first to start eating, and only then those who are lower in rank. Not surprisingly, the poorest cuts go to monkeys of low social status.
Macaques are medium sized monkeys (40 - 75 cm). Tails of various lengths: the brown has a stump of 5-8 cm (its English name is translated as chopped-tailed), the Javanese has a longer body, the Rhesus has half the length of the body, and the magot has no tail at all. The forelimbs are shorter than the hind limbs or equal to them, all five fingers are equipped with nails. The body is dense. Wool in different species has a different color - yellow, brown, brown, olive, black. The coloration of the hairless, as a rule, face of macaques also varies.
Macaques are herd animals. They live in forests, among bushes, in mountains and even in cities. The size of the herds and the orders in them are very diverse, depending on the living conditions, and sometimes on the temper of the leader. Rhesuses have herds of up to 200 individuals. These are clans consisting of family groups, each headed by one male, and the entire herd can be controlled by one or more leaders. Like other monkeys, there are "hermits" - overthrown former leaders.
Although macaques are more “democratic” in their hierarchy compared to land baboons, it exists and is still quite strictly maintained. In addition, rhesus, for example, are quite aggressive monkeys that can bite not only their relatives, but also a person in captivity. With all this, a completely altruistic behavior of Rhesus has recently been established.
At the Caribbean Primatology Center, where monkeys live on islands and are kept in captivity, it is shown that a 25-year-old female who gave birth for the last time at 17 and is now old, decrepit, suffering from arthritis and significant loss of vision, a group of young monkeys treated with touching respect. It turned out they were relatives. When the female lagged behind during transitions, an adult grandson or great-grandson was always waiting for her, who then moved along with her.
The researcher who described this behavior considers it an example of “reciprocal altruism,” in other words, a reciprocal grateful respect of descendants for a grandmother and great-grandmother who had a high rank for 15 years. This rank, and, of course, all the benefits arising from such a position for monkeys, the old female passed on to her daughter. The high rank of mother and grandmother contributed to the fact that the son and grandson occupied a dominant position in the group, the first and second places in the hierarchy. The author of the study believes that the altruism of males in relation to their progenitor strengthened their own high rank, received, as we see, by inheritance.
In the Sukhumi Monkey Nursery, special friendly relations of relatives among the species of macaques and baboons have been noted more than once.
Macaques actively communicate with the help of sound signaling, as well as facial expressions, postures and even ... a tail. The tail raised vertically is a sign of leadership distinction, a sign of dominance. Approaching the enclosure and thus, as if threatening a herd group of rhesus macaques, a person will definitely meet a peculiar reaction of the leader of the group: retreating somewhat, he vigorously opens his mouth and sharply nods his head directed towards the enemy. At the same time, the monkey has a clearly menacing look. Feeling, however, a rebuff, counter-aggression, at least expressed in a similar way, the unlucky bully takes to his heels, caring little about his wards. One of the common means of communication of macaques, of course, is grooming - they are “searched for” selflessly. They swim willingly and very skillfully, unlike other genera of monkeys (for example, baboons, monkeys).
Macaques breed all year round, but there is seasonality in the maximum frequency of births. The Rhesus menstrual cycle lasts an average of 28 - 29 days, for the brown macaque - about 31 days, for the Javanese - almost the same. The sexual maturity of the Rhesus female occurs at two and a half - three years, the male - a little later. According to the calculated average data, the Rhesus female bears the fetus for 165 days, the brown macaque - 181, the Javanese - 162. All adults treat the cub (twins are very rare) very carefully. The female nurses him for about a year. The record for the life of rhesus in captivity is 25 years 5 months (Sukhumi nursery), Javanese macaques lived in the zoo for over 38 years, Chinese macaques - 29 years with a little, hybrid macaques (lapunder x rhesus) lived in the Sukhumi nursery for more than 27 years.
Although macaques are considered a resilient genus, these monkeys are also decreasing quite noticeably, therefore they need to be protected. The number of rhesus is constantly decreasing. In Malaysia alone, 45,000 monkeys of this species die every year from deforestation. Lion-tailed macaques, of which there are only 800 specimens left on Earth, are included in the Red Book; macaque macaques, Japanese, Taiwanese and brown macaques, one of the subspecies of lapunder, living in Indonesia (sometimes considered the species M. pagensis) are protected.
Macaques, like marmosets, can be successfully relocated in large groups to areas where they are not normally found. Rhesuses have been breeding for a long time in the Sukhumi nursery, in the primatological centers of the USA (as mentioned, they have been living since 1938 on the islands in the Caribbean Sea, near Puerto Rico). It is not known exactly the origin of 600 Javan macaques on about. Angaur (Micronesia), most likely their ancestors were brought here by people. In 1966, a whole herd of Japanese macaques - 150 monkeys - was transported from Arashiyama to Texas. The animals adapted to the new habitat (which is now called Western Arashiyama). Here they became the object of intensive research by psychologists studying the formation of herd relations, as well as by biochemists, virologists, and geneticists. For 10 years, 30 dissertations have been defended on the material of Western Arashiyama.
