Difference between revisions of "Macaque" - New World Encyclopedia

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{{Taxobox
 
{{Taxobox
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| name = Macaques<ref name=msw3>{{MSW3 Groves|pages=161-165}}</ref>
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| name = Macaques<ref name=msw3>C. Groves, "Order Primates," "Order Monotremata," (and select other orders). Page(s) 161-165 in D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder (eds.), Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005, ISBN 08018822140).</ref>
 
| image = Ngarai Sianok sumatran monkey.jpg
 
| image = Ngarai Sianok sumatran monkey.jpg
 
| image_width = 250px
 
| image_width = 250px
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| image_caption = Crab-eating macaque (''Macaca&nbsp;fascicularis'')
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| image_caption = Crab-eating macaque ''(Macaca&nbsp;fascicularis)''
 
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
 
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
 
| phylum = [[Chordata]]
 
| phylum = [[Chordata]]
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| subdivision = See text.
 
| subdivision = See text.
 
}}
 
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'''Macaque''' ({{pronEng|məˈkæk}}) is the common name for any of the [[Old World monkeys]] comprising the genus '''''Macaca''''' ({{IPA|/məˈkækə/}}), typically characterized by the presence of cheek pouches to carry food, and ranging from slight to heavily built and colors from shades of brown to black. While many species are characterized by short tails or no tails, some species have very long tails.  
+
'''Macaque''' ({{pronEng|məˈkæk}}) is the common name for any of the [[Old World monkeys]] comprising the genus '''''Macaca''''' ({{IPA|/məˈkækə/}}), typically characterized by the presence of cheek pouches to carry food, and ranging from slight to heavily built and [[color]]s from shades of brown to black. While many [[species]] are characterized by short tails or no tails, some species have very long tails.  
  
−
Aside from [[human]]s (genus ''[[Homo (genus)|Homo]]''), the macaques are the most widespread [[primate]] genus. Macaques are primarily found in Asia, from [[Afghanistan]] to China and Japan to Southeast Asia, including the Philippines and Borneo. One species is found in Northern Africa and Gibraltar.  
+
Aside from [[human]]s (genus ''[[Homo (genus)|Homo]]''), the macaques are the most widespread [[primate]] genus. Macaques are primarily found in [[Asia]], from [[Afghanistan]] to [[China]] and [[Japan]] to Southeast Asia, including the [[Philippines]] and [[Borneo]]. One species is found in [[Northern Africa]] and [[Gibraltar]].  
  
−
The macaques include some of the best-known monkeys, such as the [[rhesus macaque]] or rhesus monkey (''Macaca mulatta'') and the [[Barbary macaque]] or Barbary ape (''M. sylvanus''). Although several species lack tails, and their common names therefore refer to them as [[ape]]s, these are true monkeys, with no greater relationship to the true apes than any other Old World monkeys.
+
The macaques include some of the best-known monkeys, such as the [[rhesus macaque]] or rhesus monkey ''(Macaca mulatta)'' and the [[Barbary macaque]] or Barbary ape ''(M. sylvanus)''. Although several species use "ape" in their common name, given their lack of tails, these are true [[monkey]]s, with no greater relationship to the true apes than any other Old World monkeys.
−
 
+
{{toc}}
−
Several species of macaque are used extensively in [[animal testing]].
+
Occupying a wide geographic and ecologically diverse range, macaques provide important [[ecology|ecological]] roles, both as part of [[food chain]]s and in seed dispersal. For humans, macaques, and in particular the rhesus monkeys and the crab-eating macaques, have been important animals for medical, psychological, and other scientific research, aided by having a similar genetic makeup and immunological, neurological, and reproductive systems as humans, and by their adapting well to captivity (Shidler 2007). In addition, macaques provide other values to humans, such as being trained to pick coconuts, or as popular sightings in the wild or in [[zoo]]s, adding to the wonder of [[nature]] with their unique forms and behaviors. The Japanese macaques ''(Macaca fuscata)'' are particularly well-known, given their being seen sitting in hot springs in snow-covered areas in Japan (SDZ 2008).
  
 +
==Characteristics==
 +
[[Image:Nelliampathi-Monkey.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Bonnet macaque ''(Macaca radiata)'' seen in [[Nelliampathi]] mountains in [[Kerala]], [[south India]].]]
 +
As a member of the [[Old World monkey]] family (Cercopithecidae), macaques are characterized by close-set nostrils that are downward or forward facing, a tubular ear bone, and a tail, when present, that is never prehensile (adapted for grasping or holding). Old World monkeys also are characterized by [[trichromatic]] vision (Carroll 2006) and the presence of twelve premolars, with four cups on their molars, in a "bilophodont" pattern, unlike apes, which have five cusps on their molars (the "Y-5" molar pattern). Catarrhines (Old World monkeys and apes) have the [[dentition|dental formula]]:{{dentition2|2.1.2.3|2.1.2.3}}
  
 +
One of the more interesting features of macaques are their cheek pouches, a feature that they share with some other Old World monkeys (SDZ 2008). Macaques stuff food into these pouches so that they can chew the food later. New World monkeys lack cheek pouches (SDZ 2008).
  
−
==Characteristics==
+
[[Image:Macaca arctoides.png|thumb|left|230px|Stump-tailed macaque ''(Macaca&nbsp;arctoides)'']]
−
[[Image:Nelliampathi-Monkey.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Bonnet macaque (''Macaca radiata'') seen in [[Nelliampathi]] mountains in [[Kerala]], [[south India]]]]
+
Some macaques are nearly tailless, such as the stump-tailed macaque ''(M. arctaides)'', some are tailless, such as the Barbary ape ''(M. sylvanus)'' and some have long tails, such as rhesus monkey ''(M. mulataa)''. The crab-eating macaque ''(Macaca fascicularis)'', also known as the cynomolgus monkey and long-tailed macaque, has a very long tail, which is longer than the body, with the body length of the adult monkey about 38 to 55 centimeters (15 to 22 inches) and the tail typically 40 to 65 centimeters (16 to 26 inches).  
−
[[Image:Macaca arctoides.png|thumb|right|230px|Stump-tailed macaque (''Macaca&nbsp;arctoides'')]]
 
−
[[Image:Jigokudani hotspring in Nagano Japan 001.jpg|thumb|right|230px|Japanese macaque (''Macaca fuscata'') in Jigokudani Hot Spring, Nagano Prefecture, Japan.]]
 
−
[[Image:Macaca nemestrina.jpg|thumb|right|230px|Pig-tailed macaque (''Macaca nemestrina'')]]
 
−
An '''Old World monkey''' is any member of the [[primate]] family '''Cercopithecidae''' of the [[superfamily]] '''Cercopithecoidea''' in the [[clade]] [[Catarrhini]], typically characterized by close-set nostrils that are downward or forward facing, a tubular ear bone, and a tail, if present, that is never prehensile (adapted for grasping or holding).
 
  
−
The scientific name for the New World monkeys, ''Platyrrhini'', means "flat nosed." The noses of New World monkeys are flatter than the narrow noses of the Old World monkeys, and New World monkeys have side facing nostrils versus the close-set, downward or forward facing nostrils of Old World monkeys. Also New World monkeys (except for the [[howler monkey]]s of genus ''Alouatta'' (Jacobs et al. 1996)) lack the [[trichromatic]] vision of Old World monkeys (Carroll 2006). Other distinctions include the presence of a tubular ectotympanic (ear bone) in Old World monkeys and the presence of twelve premolars in catarrhines, versus eight in platyrrhines. The [[dentition|dental formula]] of catarrhines is:{{dentition2|2.1.2.3|2.1.2.3}}
+
While most monkeys are terrestrial, macaques tend to be more terrestrial, like baboons (SDZ 2008), or terrestrial and arboreal. Macaques are native to the following 22 nations: [[Morocco]], [[Algeria]], [[Tunisia]], [[Afghanistan]], [[Pakistan]], [[Bangladesh]], [[India]], [[Nepal]], [[Sri Lanka]], [[China]], [[Japan]], [[Philippines]], [[Bhutan]], [[Brunei]], [[Thailand]], [[Burma]], [[Cambodia]], [[Vietnam]], [[Laos]], [[Malaysia]], [[Indonesia]], and [[Taiwan]] (PIN 2008). According to Melnick et al. (1993), the rhesus monkey "has the widest geographic range of any nonhuman primate," occupying habitats from sea level to over 3000 meters and from semidesert shrub to moist temperate evergreen forests throughout Central, South, and Southeast Asia. The crab-eating Macaque has the next largest range among primate species, with the native range including most of mainland Southeast Asia, the Malay Archipelago islands of Sumatra, Java, and Borneo, the islands of the Philippines, and the [[Nicobar Islands]], as well as being an introduced species in places as diverse as Hong Kong, western [[New Guinea]], [[Palau]], and [[Mauritius]]. The Barbary macaque ''(Macaca sylvanus)'' is found in the [[Atlas Mountains]] of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, with a small, possibly introduced, population in Gibraltar, making them the only primates other than humans living freely in [[Europe]].
  
−
From the point of view of superficial appearance, Old World monkeys are unlike apes in that most have tails. All living members of the apes are tailless. However, there are also primates in other families that lack tails and some Old World monkey species lack tails. More specifically, the apes can be distinguished from Old World monkeys by the number of cusps on their molars: apes have five, the "Y-5" molar pattern, while Old World monkeys have only four in a "bilophodont" pattern.  
+
Macaques belong to the [[Cercopithecinae]] subfamily of the Cercopithecidae family. While the cercopithecines are mainly [[Africa]]n, the diverse [[genus]] of macaques are [[Asia]]n and North African. Other cercopithecines include [[baboon]]s, [[mandrill]]s, drills, geladas, and mangabeys, among others.
  
−
Two [[subfamily|subfamilies]] of Old World monkeys are recognized, [[Cercopithecinae]] and [[Colobinae]]. The cercopithecines are mainly [[Africa]]n but include the diverse [[genus]] of [[macaque]]s, which are [[Asia]]n and North [[Africa]]n. This group also includes [[baboon]]s and [[mandrill]]s, among others. The colobines includes most of the Asian genera but also the African colobus monkeys. Langurs and proboscis monkeys are among those included in Colobinae.
+
== Species ==
 +
[[Image:Jigokudani hotspring in Nagano Japan 001.jpg|thumb|right|230px|Japanese macaque ''(Macaca fuscata)'' in Jigokudani Hot Spring, Nagano Prefecture, Japan.]]
 +
[[Image:Macaca nemestrina.jpg|thumb|right|230px|Pig-tailed macaque ''(Macaca nemestrina)'']]
 +
[[Species]] of monkeys are often undergoing revision, as subspecies may be raised to the level of species. References vary from 12 species of macaques and 46 subspecies (Shidler 2007) to more than 20 species (PIN 2008). The following are 22 macaque species that are commonly recognized today:
  
−
== Species list ==
 
−
Twenty-two macaque species are currently recognised,
 
 
'''Genus ''Macaca'' '''
 
'''Genus ''Macaca'' '''
 
* ''M. sylvanus'' group
 
* ''M. sylvanus'' group
−
** [[Barbary Macaque]], ''Macaca sylvanus''
+
** [[Barbary macaque]], ''Macaca sylvanus''
 
* ''M. nemestrina'' group
 
* ''M. nemestrina'' group
−
** [[Lion-tailed Macaque]], ''Macaca silenus''
+
** [[Lion-tailed Mmacaque]], ''Macaca silenus''
−
** [[Southern Pig-tailed Macaque]] or Beruk, ''Macaca nemestrina''
+
** [[Southern pig-tailed macaque]] or Beruk, ''Macaca nemestrina''
−
** [[Northern Pig-tailed Macaque]], ''Macaca leonina''
+
** [[Northern pig-tailed macaque]], ''Macaca leonina''
−
** [[Pagai Island Macaque]], ''Macaca pagensis''
+
** [[Pagai Island macaque]], ''Macaca pagensis''
−
** [[Siberut Macaque]], ''Macaca siberu''
+
** [[Siberut macaque]], ''Macaca siberu''
−
** [[Moor Macaque]], ''Macaca maura''
+
** [[Moor macaque]], ''Macaca maura''
−
** [[Booted Macaque]], ''Macaca ochreata''
+
** [[Booted macaque]], ''Macaca ochreata''
−
** [[Tonkean Macaque]], ''Macaca tonkeana''
+
** [[Tonkean macaque]], ''Macaca tonkeana''
−
** [[Heck's Macaque]], ''Macaca hecki''
+
** [[Heck's macaque]], ''Macaca hecki''
−
** [[Gorontalo Macaque]], ''Macaca nigriscens''
+
** [[Gorontalo macaque]], ''Macaca nigriscens''
−
** [[Celebes Crested Macaque]], ''Macaca nigra''
+
** [[Celebes crested macaque]], ''Macaca nigra''
 
* ''M. fascicularis'' group
 
* ''M. fascicularis'' group
−
** [[Crab-eating Macaque]], ''Macaca fascicularis''
+
** [[Crab-eating macaque]], ''Macaca fascicularis''
−
** [[Stump-tailed Macaque]], ''Macaca arctoides''
+
** [[Stump-tailed macaque]], ''Macaca arctoides''
 
* ''M. mulatta'' group
 
* ''M. mulatta'' group
−
** [[Rhesus Macaque]], ''Macaca mulatta''
+
** [[Rhesus macaque]], ''Macaca mulatta''
−
** [[Formosan Rock Macaque]], ''Macaca cyclopis''
+
** [[Formosan rock macaque]], ''Macaca cyclopis''
−
** [[Japanese Macaque]], ''Macaca fuscata''
+
** [[Japanese macaque]], ''Macaca fuscata''
 
* ''M. sinica'' group
 
* ''M. sinica'' group
−
** [[Toque Macaque]], ''Macaca sinica''
+
** [[Toque macaque]], ''Macaca sinica''
−
** [[Bonnet Macaque]], ''Macaca radiata''
+
** [[Bonnet macaque]], ''Macaca radiata''
−
** [[Assam Macaque]], ''Macaca assamensis''
+
** [[Assam macaque]], ''Macaca assamensis''
−
** [[Tibetan Macaque]], ''Macaca thibetana''
+
** [[Tibetan macaque]], ''Macaca thibetana''
−
** [[Arunachal Macaque]], ''Macaca munzala''
+
** [[Arunachal macaque]], ''Macaca munzala''
  
−
==Importance==
+
==Medical and scientific research importance==
−
In the late 1990s it was discovered that nearly all (circa 90%) pet or captive macaques are [[Asymptomatic carrier|carrier]]s of the [[herpes]]-[[Monkey B virus|B]] [[virus]]. This virus is harmless to macaques, but infections of humans, while rare, are potentially fatal. A 2005 [[University of Toronto]] study showed that urban performing macaques also carried [[simian foamy virus]], suggesting they could be involved in the species-to-species jump of similar retroviruses to humans.<ref>[http://www.news.utoronto.ca/bin6/051208-1906.asp University of Toronto - News@UofT - Performing monkeys in Asia carry viruses that could jump species to humans (Dec 8/05)<!-- Bot generated title —>]</ref>
+
Macaques are similar in genetic makeup to [[human]]s and have similar immunological, neurological, and reproductive systems (Shidler 2007). Combined with the fact that some, such as the rhesus monkey and the crab-eating monkey, adapt well to captivity and are not endangered in the wild, they are popular animals for use in medical and scientific research (Shidler 2007). The rhesus monkey ''(Macaca mulatta)'', for example, is used in research projects involving understanding genetic and reproductive disorders, exploring age-related health conditions, and developing an AIDS vaccine (Shidler 2007). The cynomolgus monkey or crab-eating macaque ''(Macaca fascicularis)'' is best known for its use as the first test animal in clinical studies for development of the [[polio]] vaccine (Shidler 2007).
 +
 
 +
In the late 1990s, it was discovered that nearly all (around 90 percent) pet or captive macaques are [[Asymptomatic carrier|carrier]]s of the [[herpes]]-[[Monkey B virus|B]] [[virus]]. This virus is harmless to macaques, but infections of humans, while rare, are potentially fatal. A 2005 [[University of Toronto]] study showed that urban performing macaques also carried [[simian foamy virus]], suggesting they could be involved in the species-to-species jump of similar retroviruses to humans (Hall 2005).
 +
 
 +
==Notes==
 +
{{Reflist}}
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
−
{{Reflist}}
 
  
 
* Brandon-Jones, D., and T. Rowell. Guenons, macaques, and baboons; Colobus and leaf monkeys. Pages 370-405 in D. W. Macdonald, ed., ''The Encyclopedia of Mammals''. New York: Facts on File. ISBN 0871968711.
 
* Brandon-Jones, D., and T. Rowell. Guenons, macaques, and baboons; Colobus and leaf monkeys. Pages 370-405 in D. W. Macdonald, ed., ''The Encyclopedia of Mammals''. New York: Facts on File. ISBN 0871968711.
−
 
 
* Carroll, S. B. 2006. ''The Making of the Fittest''. W.W. Norton and Company. ISBN 9780393061635.
 
* Carroll, S. B. 2006. ''The Making of the Fittest''. W.W. Norton and Company. ISBN 9780393061635.
 +
* Hall, J. 2005. [http://www.news.utoronto.ca/bin6/051208-1906.asp Performing monkeys in Asia carry viruses that could jump species to humans] ''University of Toronto News'', December 2005. Retrieved June 29, 2008.
 +
* Melnick, D. J., G. A. Hoelzer, R. Absher, and M. V. Ashley. 1993. [http://mbe.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/10/2/282 mtDNA diversity in rhesus monkeys reveals overestimates of divergence time and paraphyly with neighboring species] ''Mol. Biol. Evol.'' 10(2): 282-295. Retrieved June 29, 2008.
 +
* Primate Info Net (PIN). 2008. [http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/links/macaca Macaque ''(Macaca sp.)''] ''National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin - Madison''. Retrieved June 29, 2008.
 +
* San Diego Zoo. 2008. [http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-monkey.html Mammals: Monkey] ''San Diego Zoo Animal Bytes''. Retrieved June 29, 2008.
 +
* Shidler, S. L. 2007. [http://www.primate.wisc.edu/wprc/pdfs/Macaque.pdf Macaques] ''Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin - Madison''. Retrieved June 29, 2008.
  
−
* Primate Info Net (PIN). http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/links/macaca.
 
−
 
−
 
−
 
−
San Diego Zoo. http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-monkey.html
 
−
 
−
Shidler, S. L. n.d.
 
−
http://www.primate.wisc.edu/wprc/pdfs/Macaque.pdf
 
−
 
−
== External links ==
 
−
*[http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol4no1/ostrowsk.htm CDC papers on Herpes B in macaques]
 
−
*[http://brainmaps.org/index.php?p=speciesdata&species=macaca-mulatta Macaque Monkey Brain Atlas]
 
−
*[[British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection]] [http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/video.asp?video=covance&Player=qt&speed=_med film about macaques in laboratories], featuring [[primatologist]]s Dr. [[Jane Goodall]] and Dr. Steven Brend
 
−
*[http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/links/macaca Primate Info Net ''Macaca'' Factsheets]
 
  
 
{{C.Cercopithecinae nav}}
 
{{C.Cercopithecinae nav}}
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[[Category:Animals]]
 
[[Category:Animals]]
 
[[Category:Mammals]]
 
[[Category:Mammals]]
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[[Category:Primates]]
 
  
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{{credit|Macaque|219328874}}
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{{credit|Macaque|219328874|Crab-eating_Macaque|220384077}}

Latest revision as of 21:46, 25 August 2014

Macaques[1]
Crab-eating macaque (Macaca fascicularis)
Crab-eating macaque (Macaca fascicularis)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: Cercopithecidae
Subfamily: Cercopithecinae
Genus: Macaca
Lacepede, 1799
Type species
Simia inuus
Linnaeus, 1758 = Simia sylvanus Linnaeus, 1758
Species

See text.

Macaque (pronounced /məˈkæk/) is the common name for any of the Old World monkeys comprising the genus Macaca (/məˈkækə/), typically characterized by the presence of cheek pouches to carry food, and ranging from slight to heavily built and colors from shades of brown to black. While many species are characterized by short tails or no tails, some species have very long tails.

Aside from humans (genus Homo), the macaques are the most widespread primate genus. Macaques are primarily found in Asia, from Afghanistan to China and Japan to Southeast Asia, including the Philippines and Borneo. One species is found in Northern Africa and Gibraltar.

The macaques include some of the best-known monkeys, such as the rhesus macaque or rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) and the Barbary macaque or Barbary ape (M. sylvanus). Although several species use "ape" in their common name, given their lack of tails, these are true monkeys, with no greater relationship to the true apes than any other Old World monkeys.

Occupying a wide geographic and ecologically diverse range, macaques provide important ecological roles, both as part of food chains and in seed dispersal. For humans, macaques, and in particular the rhesus monkeys and the crab-eating macaques, have been important animals for medical, psychological, and other scientific research, aided by having a similar genetic makeup and immunological, neurological, and reproductive systems as humans, and by their adapting well to captivity (Shidler 2007). In addition, macaques provide other values to humans, such as being trained to pick coconuts, or as popular sightings in the wild or in zoos, adding to the wonder of nature with their unique forms and behaviors. The Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) are particularly well-known, given their being seen sitting in hot springs in snow-covered areas in Japan (SDZ 2008).

Characteristics

Bonnet macaque (Macaca radiata) seen in Nelliampathi mountains in Kerala, south India.

As a member of the Old World monkey family (Cercopithecidae), macaques are characterized by close-set nostrils that are downward or forward facing, a tubular ear bone, and a tail, when present, that is never prehensile (adapted for grasping or holding). Old World monkeys also are characterized by trichromatic vision (Carroll 2006) and the presence of twelve premolars, with four cups on their molars, in a "bilophodont" pattern, unlike apes, which have five cusps on their molars (the "Y-5" molar pattern). Catarrhines (Old World monkeys and apes) have the dental formula:

2.1.2.3
2.1.2.3

One of the more interesting features of macaques are their cheek pouches, a feature that they share with some other Old World monkeys (SDZ 2008). Macaques stuff food into these pouches so that they can chew the food later. New World monkeys lack cheek pouches (SDZ 2008).

Stump-tailed macaque (Macaca arctoides)

Some macaques are nearly tailless, such as the stump-tailed macaque (M. arctaides), some are tailless, such as the Barbary ape (M. sylvanus) and some have long tails, such as rhesus monkey (M. mulataa). The crab-eating macaque (Macaca fascicularis), also known as the cynomolgus monkey and long-tailed macaque, has a very long tail, which is longer than the body, with the body length of the adult monkey about 38 to 55 centimeters (15 to 22 inches) and the tail typically 40 to 65 centimeters (16 to 26 inches).

While most monkeys are terrestrial, macaques tend to be more terrestrial, like baboons (SDZ 2008), or terrestrial and arboreal. Macaques are native to the following 22 nations: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, China, Japan, Philippines, Bhutan, Brunei, Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Taiwan (PIN 2008). According to Melnick et al. (1993), the rhesus monkey "has the widest geographic range of any nonhuman primate," occupying habitats from sea level to over 3000 meters and from semidesert shrub to moist temperate evergreen forests throughout Central, South, and Southeast Asia. The crab-eating Macaque has the next largest range among primate species, with the native range including most of mainland Southeast Asia, the Malay Archipelago islands of Sumatra, Java, and Borneo, the islands of the Philippines, and the Nicobar Islands, as well as being an introduced species in places as diverse as Hong Kong, western New Guinea, Palau, and Mauritius. The Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus) is found in the Atlas Mountains of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, with a small, possibly introduced, population in Gibraltar, making them the only primates other than humans living freely in Europe.

Macaques belong to the Cercopithecinae subfamily of the Cercopithecidae family. While the cercopithecines are mainly African, the diverse genus of macaques are Asian and North African. Other cercopithecines include baboons, mandrills, drills, geladas, and mangabeys, among others.

Species

Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata) in Jigokudani Hot Spring, Nagano Prefecture, Japan.
Pig-tailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina)

Species of monkeys are often undergoing revision, as subspecies may be raised to the level of species. References vary from 12 species of macaques and 46 subspecies (Shidler 2007) to more than 20 species (PIN 2008). The following are 22 macaque species that are commonly recognized today:

Genus Macaca

  • M. sylvanus group
    • Barbary macaque, Macaca sylvanus
  • M. nemestrina group
    • Lion-tailed Mmacaque, Macaca silenus
    • Southern pig-tailed macaque or Beruk, Macaca nemestrina
    • Northern pig-tailed macaque, Macaca leonina
    • Pagai Island macaque, Macaca pagensis
    • Siberut macaque, Macaca siberu
    • Moor macaque, Macaca maura
    • Booted macaque, Macaca ochreata
    • Tonkean macaque, Macaca tonkeana
    • Heck's macaque, Macaca hecki
    • Gorontalo macaque, Macaca nigriscens
    • Celebes crested macaque, Macaca nigra
  • M. fascicularis group
    • Crab-eating macaque, Macaca fascicularis
    • Stump-tailed macaque, Macaca arctoides
  • M. mulatta group
    • Rhesus macaque, Macaca mulatta
    • Formosan rock macaque, Macaca cyclopis
    • Japanese macaque, Macaca fuscata
  • M. sinica group
    • Toque macaque, Macaca sinica
    • Bonnet macaque, Macaca radiata
    • Assam macaque, Macaca assamensis
    • Tibetan macaque, Macaca thibetana
    • Arunachal macaque, Macaca munzala

Medical and scientific research importance

Macaques are similar in genetic makeup to humans and have similar immunological, neurological, and reproductive systems (Shidler 2007). Combined with the fact that some, such as the rhesus monkey and the crab-eating monkey, adapt well to captivity and are not endangered in the wild, they are popular animals for use in medical and scientific research (Shidler 2007). The rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta), for example, is used in research projects involving understanding genetic and reproductive disorders, exploring age-related health conditions, and developing an AIDS vaccine (Shidler 2007). The cynomolgus monkey or crab-eating macaque (Macaca fascicularis) is best known for its use as the first test animal in clinical studies for development of the polio vaccine (Shidler 2007).

In the late 1990s, it was discovered that nearly all (around 90 percent) pet or captive macaques are carriers of the herpes-B virus. This virus is harmless to macaques, but infections of humans, while rare, are potentially fatal. A 2005 University of Toronto study showed that urban performing macaques also carried simian foamy virus, suggesting they could be involved in the species-to-species jump of similar retroviruses to humans (Hall 2005).

Notes

  1. ↑ C. Groves, "Order Primates," "Order Monotremata," (and select other orders). Page(s) 161-165 in D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder (eds.), Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005, ISBN 08018822140).

References
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