There are six sub-species of rhesus macaques, or Macaca mulatta in latin. They appear on the IUCN Red List of threatened species and have been categorised as ‘Least Concern‘.
Physical characteristics
- Tail: 21 -23cm.
- Upper half of body (arms, upper back) - grey brown.
- Head - typically golden brown on the top and sides.
- Lower half of body (rump, legs, lower back, tail) - light brown to auburn.
- Skin - pink, ranging from a light to bright pink.
- Longer arms and legs in relation to body size than cynomolgus macaques.
- White underside.
- Weight: males (7.7 kg), females (5.3kg).
- Body length: 45-55cm.
(Metrics from Fooden 2000).
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Rhesus looking out in tree -
Mother and infant rhesus huddle in the rain -
Rhesus forage seaweed -
Rhesus macaques sleeping in close contact (Alexander Georgiev)
Habitat
- Largest distribution of any nonhuman primate [1].
- Native to mainland Asia – India, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand, Laos, China, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Vietnam.
- Introduced to Cayo Santiago (Puerto Rico) and in the Silver River State Park (Florida, USA) as free-ranging colonies, both in 1938, and to Morgan Island (South Carolina, USA) in 1979 [2].
- Habitat ranges from arid, open areas to grasslands, woodlands and mountainous regions up to over 3,000 metres [3].
- May be either primarily arboreal or terrestrial depending on their habitat [4,5].
- Forms mixed-species troops with bonnet macaques (Macaca radiata) on the eastern coast of peninsular India.
- See the IUCN Red List website for a map of the geographical range of this species (excluding introduced populations).
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Rhesus looking out in tree
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Rhesus forage seaweed
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Mother and infant rhesus huddle in the rain
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Rhesus macaques sleeping in close contact (Alexander Georgiev)
Ecology and behaviour
(Adapted from Jennings & Prescott 2009 and Cawthon Lang 2005)
| Ecology | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Habitat Varies from hot arid areas to rain forest, areas of seasonal snowfall and urban sites; from sea-level to >3000m |
Can be predominantly terrestrial or arboreal, depending on habitat [5]. Locomotion is quadrupedal walking, running and leaping. Vertical escape routes utilised to avoid predators. Good swimmers [6] |
| Home range Depends on habitat; from 0.01 to >1600 ha [1,6-8] |
Long distances covered when searching for food and water. In areas of human activity, over 90% of the diet can be from human sources, either direct handouts or from agricultural sources [9] |
| Diet Omnivorous; consumes fruit, seeds, leaves, plant exudates, bark, grasses, roots, fungi, insects and fish [6,10] |
Eclectic diet, but selective. Cheek pouches enable storing of food during foraging. Food is transported away from the foraging site for consumption, often to avoid competition from dominant conspecifics. |
| Activity patterns Primarily diurnal |
Across all habitat types, feeding and resting are the major activities; the rest of the time is spent in travelling, grooming, playing and other activities [7]. |
| Sleeping behaviour Roost in groups |
Sleep huddled together in elevated positions, e.g. on cliffs or edges of branches to avoid ground-dwelling predators. |
| Group living Group sizes range from <10 to >100 individuals; in provisioned populations, can be much larger (e.g. over 300 on Cayo Santiago) |
Variable group sizes depending on habitat and ecological conditions. Home ranges overlap and groups have high frequencies of intergroup contact, which is characterized by generally mild social interactions [11]. Multi-male/multi-female groups. Females remain in natal group (philopatry); most males emigrate before they reach sexual maturity. |
| Social behaviour Hierarchical |
Highly social, hierarchical relationships. Organised around matrilines – mothers, daughters and sisters. Females and males have strict dominance hierarchies. Group cohesion is maintained through allogrooming. Group living necessitates complex social communication skills. |
References
- Southwick CH et al. (1996). Population ecology of rhesus macaques in tropical and temperate habitats in china. In: Evolution and ecology of macaque societies (Eds. Fa JE and Lindburg DG) (pp. 95-105). Cambridge Univ Pr.
- Rawlins RG and Kessler MJ (1986). The cayo santiago macaques history, behavior, and biology, 1st edition. State University of New York Press.
- Rowe N (1996). The pictorial guide to the living primates. Pogonias Pr.
- Seth PK (2000). Habitat, resource utilization, patterns and determinants of behaviour in rhesus monkeys. Journal of Human Ecology 11(1): 1-21.
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Seth PK et al. (2001). Indian rhesus macaque: Habitat, ecology and activity patterns of naturally occurring populations. In: Non-human primates of india , envis bulletin: Wildlife & protected areas (Ed., Gupta AK) (1 ed., Vol. 1, pp. 68-80). Wildl Inst India.
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Fooden J (2000). Systematic review of the rhesus macaque, macaca mulatta (zimmermann, 1780) / jack fooden 1 ed. Field Museum of Natural History. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.7192
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Seth PK and Seth S (1986). Ecology and behaviour of rhesus monkeys in india. In: Primate ecology and conservation (Eds. Else JG and Lee PC) (Vol. 2, pp. 89-104). Cambridge University Press.
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Srivastava A and Mohnot SM (2001). Distribution, conservation status and priorities for primates in northeast india. In: Non-human primates of india , envis bulletin: Wildlife & protected areas (Ed., Gupta AK) (1 ed., Vol. 1, pp. 102-8). Wildl Inst India.
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Southwick CH and Farooq Siddiqi M (1994). Primate commensalism : The rhesus monkey in india. Rev Ecol (Terre Vie) 49: 223-31.
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Lindburg DG (1971). The rhesus monkey in north india : An ecological and behavioral study. In: Primate behavior: Developments in field and laboratory research (Ed., Rosenblum LA) (Vol. 2, pp. 1-106). Academic Pr.
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Melnick DJ et al. (1984). Male migration and inbreeding avoidance in wild rhesus monkeys. American Journal of Primatology 7(3): 229-43. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.1350070303