Wildlifeof Vietnam
Rhesus Macaque
Monkeys, Gibbons, Lorises & Colugo
Photo: Peter Burka · CC-BY-SA
Macaca mulatta
Rare visitor: recorded only occasionally in this country
Basic stats
Diet
Mostly fruit, also seeds, roots, buds, bark, cereals, insects, spiders and crabs; human food in cities
Habitat
A wide range of habitats and altitudes
Range
South, Central and Southeast Asia, including Vietnam and southern China
Size
Head and body 47–53cm; tail 20.7–22.9cm
Weight
Males about 7.7kg; females about 5.3kg
The rhesus macaque is brown or grey with a bare pink face. Adult males average about 53 cm long and weigh about 7.7 kg, and females average 47 cm and 5.3 kg, with a tail of 20.7–22.9 cm. It has the widest geographic range of any non-human primate, living in a great diversity of habitats and altitudes. Six to nine subspecies are recognised, in two groups, one Chinese-derived and one Indian-derived (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is diurnal, arboreal and terrestrial, and mostly herbivorous, eating mainly fruit as well as seeds, roots, buds, bark and cereals, with insects, spiders, honeycombs, crabs and bird eggs on the side. Groups are matrilineal, and monkeys in cities also eat human food and refuse.
Quick answers
- What does the Rhesus Macaque eat?
- Mostly fruit, also seeds, roots, buds, bark, cereals, insects, spiders and crabs; human food in cities
- What habitat does the Rhesus Macaque live in?
- A wide range of habitats and altitudes
- Where is the Rhesus Macaque found?
- South, Central and Southeast Asia, including Vietnam and southern China
- How big is the Rhesus Macaque?
- Head and body 47–53cm; tail 20.7–22.9cm
- How much does the Rhesus Macaque weigh?
- Males about 7.7kg; females about 5.3kg