Wildlifeof Nepal
Rhesus Macaque
Monkeys, Gibbons, Lorises & Colugo
Photo: Peter Burka · CC-BY-SA
Macaca mulatta
Basic stats
Diet
Mostly fruit; also seeds, roots, buds, bark, cereals, insects, spiders and bird eggs
Habitat
Forest and human-modified areas; both arboreal and terrestrial
Range
India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Afghanistan, Vietnam and southern China
Size
Length 47–53cm; tail 20.7–22.9cm
Weight
5.3–7.7kg
The rhesus macaque is brown or grey with a bare pink face. Adult males average about 53cm in length and 7.7kg, and females about 47cm and 5.3kg, with a tail of 20.7 to 22.9cm. It is diurnal and both arboreal and terrestrial, and its social groups are matrilineal (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is mostly herbivorous, feeding mainly on fruit but also seeds, roots, buds, bark and cereals, and it will take insects, spiders and bird eggs. In Nepal, expanding monocultures, forest fragmentation, habitat degradation and changing farming practices have led to a significant increase in human-macaque conflict. About 44% of Nepal's land contains suitable habitat, but only 8% of that lies in national parks. Nationally Least Concern (Nepal National Red List 2011).
Quick answers
- What does the Rhesus Macaque eat?
- Mostly fruit; also seeds, roots, buds, bark, cereals, insects, spiders and bird eggs
- What habitat does the Rhesus Macaque live in?
- Forest and human-modified areas; both arboreal and terrestrial
- Where is the Rhesus Macaque found?
- India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Afghanistan, Vietnam and southern China
- How big is the Rhesus Macaque?
- Length 47–53cm; tail 20.7–22.9cm
- How much does the Rhesus Macaque weigh?
- 5.3–7.7kg