{"id":233,"date":"2014-01-21T08:46:26","date_gmt":"2014-01-21T08:46:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tibetnature.lhasocialwork.com\/en\/?p=233"},"modified":"2014-02-21T08:55:25","modified_gmt":"2014-02-21T08:55:25","slug":"rhesus-macaque","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/rhesus-macaque\/","title":{"rendered":"RHESUS MACAQUE"},"content":{"rendered":"

Macaca mulatta<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Physical Description<\/strong><\/p>\n

Macaques are second only to humans in their ability to use their fingertips and opposable thumbs to manipulate small objects. The Rhesus\u00a0Macaque has brown fur, with light underparts, and red skin. The Macaque\u2019s face, ears, and rump are hairless. The Rhesus Macaque has cheek\u00a0pouches to carry food in while foraging. The Macaque\u2019s body length ranges from 45 to 65 centimetres (18 to 26 inches), and the Macaque\u2019s\u00a0tail length ranges from 19 to 32 centimetres (7.5 to 13 inches).<\/p>\n

\"RHESUS<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo: www.wildlifeandbirdingdestinations.blogspot.in<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The average height of male Rhesus macaques measures from 48 to 63.5\u00a0centimetres (19 to 25 inches), while the average height of females measures from 47 to 53 centimetres (18.5 to 20.9 inches). Male macaques\u00a0weigh from 6.5 to 12 kilograms (14 to 26 pounds) and females weigh an average of 3.3 kilograms (7.3 pounds).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Habitat<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Rhesus Macaque is found in a wide range of habitats, ranging from barren areas to dense forest, from very cold to very hot climates, and\u00a0elevations from sea level up to 2,500 metres (8,200 feet).<\/p>\n

Several sub-populations of the Macaque have adapted to urban environments. The\u00a0Macaque has disappeared from much of its original range, but still occurs in Tibet, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Burma (Myanmar),\u00a0Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.<\/p>\n

Eating Habits<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Rhesus Macaque is omnivorous, and its diet varies across its habitat range and according to the season. The Macaque\u2019s diet may include\u00a0insects, leaves, fruit, flowers, berries, grain, grass, ground herbs, and algae. The Rhesus Macaque sometimes raids crop fields, gardens, and\u00a0garbage cans for food.<\/p>\n

Behaviour and Reproduction<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Rhesus Macaque is equally comfortable in the trees and on the ground, and is also a good swimmer. The Macaque lives in groups consisting\u00a0of both females and males. Male macaques are dominant within the groups. Males switch groups every few years, but females stay associated in\u00a0a strict matrilineal hierarchy. Macaque group sizes often reach into the hundreds, and rarely number below 20 monkeys. The Rhesus Macaque\u00a0is not territorial.<\/p>\n

The Rhesus Macaque generally reaches sexual maturity between 3.5 to four years of age. During the mating season, the buttocks and back of\u00a0the legs of female and male macaques deepen in colour to a bright red. The timing of the mating season varies across the Rhesus Macaque\u2019s\u00a0habitat range. Macaques that live in cold areas mate in the fall and give birth in spring. The Rhesus Macaque\u2019s gestation period is from 135 to\u00a0194 days. Each macaque mother typically gives birth to just one offspring. Offspring weigh about 450 grams (16 ounces) at birth. Mothers\u00a0give birth again the following year or two years later. Rhesus macaques in captivity may live for up to 30 years.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Present Status<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Rhesus Macaque is categorized as Lower Risk: Near Threatened in the 2003 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and is listed under\u00a0Appendix II of CITES. The Rhesus Macaque is under second class protection in China.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Threats to Survival<\/strong><\/p>\n

The main threat to the Rhesus Macaque\u2019s survival is habitat loss. The Macaque may also be poached, for the pet trade, or persecuted, because\u00a0of its crop-raiding tendencies. The Rhesus Macaque is widely used as a test subject in scientific experiments, especially within the fields of\u00a0biology, medicine, and psychology.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

References<\/strong><\/p>\n

BBC, Science & Nature \u2013 Wildfacts \u2013 Rhesus monkey, http:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/nature\/wildfacts\/factfiles\/211.shtml, Aug 2004.<\/p>\n

Eudey, A. & Members of the Primate Specialist Group, 2000: Macaca mulatta. In: IUCN, 2003: 2003 IUCN Red List of Threatened<\/p>\n

Species, http:\/\/www.redlist.org, Aug 2004.<\/p>\n

Flannery, Sean, Oct 2003: Rhesus Macaque (Macaca Mulata), http:\/\/members.tripod.com\/uakari\/macaca_mulatta.html, Aug 2004.<\/p>\n

Seinfeld, J., 2000, Macaca mulatta, Animal Diversity Web, http:\/\/animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu\/site\/accounts\/information\/<\/p>\n

Macaca_mulatta.html, Aug 2004.<\/p>\n

Singapore Zoological Gardens, 2000: Rhesus Macaque (Macaca Mulatta), http:\/\/www.szgdocent.org\/pp\/p-mcrhes.htm, Aug 2004.<\/p>\n

By: Environment and Development Desk, DIIR, CTA.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Macaca mulatta Physical Description Macaques are second only to humans in their ability to use their fingertips and opposable thumbs to manipulate small objects. The Rhesus\u00a0Macaque has brown fur, with light underparts, and red skin.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-primates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=233"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":235,"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233\/revisions\/235"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}