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Rhesus macaque is one of the most famous representatives among its relatives of macaques. The species is part of the monkey family. The habitat is the land of Asia - Central and Southeast, where you can often find this animal. It usually catches the eye in countries such as India, Pakistan, as well as China (its southern regions), Thailand and Vietnam.
Compared with other representatives of the monkey family, this species is distinguished by its wide geographical distribution. They can live in almost any environment:
- in high mountains;
- in arid deserts;
- in impassable forests;
- in open meadows;
- in cities among a huge number of people.
An example of the last paragraph is their habitat in the cities of India. Often you can meet them walking along the street and begging for a handout in the form of goodies. Moreover, no one offends them here, since animals are considered sacred.
Description
Females, in turn, stretch up to 47 centimeters in length, and weight can reach 5.3 kg. The muzzle of the animal is pale pink and has virtually no hair. The tail of each macaque in length reaches 20-23 centimeters.
The color of the species may be different, but most often there are representatives in which the coat is gray, less often brown. Very rarely there are green overflows in the color of females and males.
Animals have different sizes of limbs: the hind legs are slightly shorter than the front ones. Additionally, it is worth noting that this species is very fond of water and very often it can be found swimming in a pond. Every Rhesus monkey is a great swimmer.
Behavior
Macaques often live in large flocks. Up to 20 individuals can be in one flock, sometimes even more. If we consider the distribution of males and females in the pack, then the first statistics are 4 times less than the second. It is also interesting that representatives of different sexes (both males and females) have their own hierarchy system.
So, for example, only a young female can occupy a higher place in the formed flock. And if a female mother attempts to take her place, then female daughters have the right to unite and launch a counterattack. It is interesting that biologists did not notice such behavior among other species of the monkey family. Another feature of a flock of rhesus monkeys is the expulsion of a young male as soon as he reaches the age of five.
Nutrition
As for the nutrition process, macaques can eat food both on a tree and on the earth's surface, without experiencing any inconvenience at all. Movement is carried out using four limbs.
Among the most beloved delicacies are fruits, berries, tree bark, buds and seeds. It is easy to guess that macaques like plant-based foods. Sometimes an animal shows miracles of quick wits and dexterity. An example is water production. If the source of water in the habitat of the flock is far away, then to get drunk, macaques begin to collect dew drops from the leaves of trees or shrubs. Sometimes they can use ripe fruits as a source of moisture.
In addition to plant foods, macaques can also eat animals.Grasshoppers and other small insects act as food.
Communication
Macaques communicate with each other using sound signals in the form of screams. The type of scream depends on the situation in which the animals are. If representatives of the species are sitting next to each other, then for communication they can also use gestures and facial expressions.
Breeding
When the female has a mating season, she may, during this time, enter into a relationship with several males. Usually their number does not exceed four. Pregnancy lasts 164 days, after which the female gives birth to one baby. During the year, the mother takes care of her baby and carries out the process of feeding him.
Young people can begin to continue the birth, having reached the age of four years - it is at this moment that they usually begin puberty. In general, the life expectancy of rhesus monkeys is from 28 to 30 years.
Relationship with people
You can meet these animals in many zoos or vivariums. They do not require special care, and also allow you to quickly cope with their content, as they resemble the physiological needs of a person.
Macaques are also used for research purposes, because they have anatomy similar to humans and almost the same course of similar processes in the body.
Another interesting fact of the interaction between monkeys and humans is the flight of Rhesus monkeys into space. This happened in the middle of the 20th century, and it is worth noting that the flight was successful.
But do not forget that animals can be carriers of dangerous diseases, and this type of monkey is no exception. With close contact with a sick monkey, a person can become infected with the herpes virus. The disease is quite serious, there have been cases of death. That is why when dealing with this species of macaques, you should be careful.
Video: rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta)
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