Japanese macaque - description, habitat, lifestyle

Macaques belong to the genus of primates, which has about 20 species. The first representatives appeared more than 5 million years ago. The individuals belong to the monkey family, in today's article we will consider a specific representative - the Japanese macaque. She is distinguished by her habits, ability to earn food and other aspects. Individuals live preferably in the mountains and near sandy areas. Today, these animals are a tourist attraction in Japan, we will consider their characteristics in more detail.

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1. A distinctive feature of these monkeys is curiosity, the ability to make contact and the desire to please everyone. Since many tourists flock to Japan every year, they all go to see macaques. Animals, in turn, begin to frolic, wanting to appear in all its glory in front of the cameras. Some individuals even stray in groups, hold hands and begin to grimace for a photo. In intelligence, they also do not concede.
2. Macaques like being in hot springs. They are happy to climb into the heated natural baths, which are located on the island of Honshu. They can bask in the spring with people, thus relaxing from everyday troubles. Animals behave with respectful people, they are similar in habits to the true northern samurai.
3. Some believe that representatives of this family can be found exclusively near the Honshu volcano. However, they are distributed throughout Japan, just a large part of the population is dispersed in the northern part. The homeland of the monkeys is Kosima (Yakushima), which is an island with a special history.
4. People who flock to Japan every year from all over the world nicknamed these monkeys snow monkeys. They are common in various climatic zones, like cold, but do not mind visiting subtropical conditions. They like the highlands. Most of the population is dispersed precisely in forest zones. The Japanese love macaques, and therefore made them a national treasure.
5. Despite the name of the species, the distribution of macaques is not at all limited to Japan. When animals were transported to the United States of America in the early 1970s, they fled and spread throughout Texas. Climatic conditions suited them, so today in this state you can find monkeys in the forest. Of course, there are not so many of them as in the vastness of the homeland, but there is still a small population.
6. People who travel and stay at campsites are constantly in contact with primates and feed them. Representatives of the family also live in captivity, namely in zoos in different parts of the world. They live in the Moscow Zoo as well. It is noteworthy that when primates are kept under such conditions, their lifespan doubles, or even triple, when compared with the natural areas of existence.

Habitat

1. Macaques are mainly distributed on three islands. This list includes Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku. A separate species of Japanese monkeys lives on Yakushima, which they ranked as an independent species. These individuals are distinguished by the format of the eyes, shortened fur, as well as their habits.
2. Monkeys endure the cold, can live where there is constant frost. People gave the animals represented another name - snow. This is true, because monkeys have been comfortable in the cold for many years, they live in the snow for more than 4 months per year.In this case, the temperature regime does not rise above the level of -5 degrees.
3. When animals freeze, they go to natural springs with hot water. However, such heating has its negative features, macaques crawl out wet and are exposed to frost faster. To eat, animals are often forced to get out of warm sources.
4. These animals are very smart, so even from this situation they found a way out. Animals in groups go swimming and basking, others bring them lunch directly to the water source. So the groups replace each other, everyone is in the black. In addition, sympathetic tourists give food to individuals.
5. In addition to the fact that animals occupied Japan, they spread to North American territory. More than one and a half hundred primates, who escaped from a farmer in Texas, have successfully existed there to this day. At home, the monkeys are loved and protected, because they consider it an asset.

Food

1. Individuals of the family under discussion are considered omnivorous, but they always give preference to food of plant origin. In their natural environment they lean on fruit and berry fruits, consume foliage of plants, dig up rhizomes. Some treat themselves to insects and their larvae, others steal the eggs of birds. Those primates living in the northern parts prefer crustaceans, mollusks, and fish.
2. When tourists arrive in Japan and begin their journey through the protected areas, they are strictly forbidden to feed the primates. However, people still give the monkeys cookies, chocolate bars, deep-fried potatoes and even sandwiches. Animals do not mind eating what they cannot find in nature. The most delicious treats, for example, chocolate, primates give to their offspring.
3. In a zoo in Thailand, there is an individual belonging to this family, which simply adores hot dogs. The primate eats them with pleasure, after which he drinks them with sweet carbonated drinks. Despite the fears of veterinarians, the individual feels great and lives for more than 25 years.

Lifestyle

1. It is worth noting that the individuals in question are highly organized. In addition, they are very social. The presented macaques are able to adapt to almost any living conditions. Individuals can even get used to any climate. Otherwise, the animals in question prefer to live in large groups. In such schools there are several dozen families.
2. Moreover, the animals fully understand the word “family”. They have the concept of marriage. The formed couple together is engaged in raising offspring. Moreover, it is the male who deals with such issues to a greater extent. Therefore, if you notice an individual with a baby on its back, in most cases you will be touched precisely by the father and the cub.
3. The rest of the pack is very strictly and strictly observed hierarchy. None of the males has the right to challenge any decisions of the leader. Even because of this, individuals are in no hurry to leave the pack. It is interesting that in addition to the leader in such a group there is a council of elders. Such macaques can solve other issues. The monkeys even have a kindergarten.
4. It is noteworthy that the individuals represented have a rather friendly and peaceful character. Macaques are very curious and will not miss the chance to explore something around them. If the case turns up, the animal can adapt something for its own benefit. Some experts believe that it is precisely because of this feature that such a single population is able to live in climatic conditions where the temperature can drop below zero.
5. It is interesting to watch how such macaques take baths. This is one of the most favorite activities of individuals. In fact, animals at this time solve their pressing problems. They warm up at the source and remove various parasites from the fur.In addition, macaques do not like frosts, therefore, when the temperature drops low, macaques try to escape in the water, simultaneously removing parasites.
6. It is interesting to observe that part of the flock, which includes babies and elderly individuals, is located in a volcanic source, warming up and getting rid of parasites. Another part of the group, where young and healthy macaques are present, sets off in search of food for the whole family. They try to collect not only natural prey, but also gifts from tourists. Then the individuals sort the products.
7. We can say that the presented individuals are very economic. In winter, the monkeys make small depressions in the snow to store food in reserve. The rest of the time, macaques have fun playing snowballs. It is noteworthy that in Honshu, winter lasts about 4 months. But monkeys are happy with such conditions.

Life span

1. Do not forget that these individuals have a limited territory for living. Macaques do not migrate and try to build stable family relationships. The disadvantage of this existence is that the individuals under consideration have some extinction. This is due to the fact that there are closely related marriages.
2. Due to this feature, the gene pool is very limited. Otherwise, in vivo such macaques are quite capable of living for about 30 years. It is noteworthy that in nature reserves and nurseries, the lifespan of individuals increases significantly. For example, a resident of a zoo in Los Angeles recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. At the same time, the leader of the pack is in no hurry to retire.

In today's article, we examined the representatives of the monkey family, which are mostly distributed in Japan. These individuals are distinguished by high intelligence, the ability to communicate with people and samurai habits. They live in the natural habitat for about 30 years, while in captivity some survive to 50 years or more.

Video: Japanese Macaque (Macaca fuscata)