The most famous of the entire genus of macaques is the rhesus monkey. This primate belongs to the monkey family.

It lives in the wild in Southeast and Central Asia. Among the habitats of this species are India, Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, southern China, Thailand, Vietnam and Burma.

Compared to other primates, this macaque species has the most extensive geographic range.

They live in mountains with a height of up to 2.5 thousand meters above sea level, in arid regions, in forests, meadows and even in cities. Often macaques roam the cities of India, counting on handouts from people, because in this country such monkeys are considered sacred animals.

Appearance of a monkey

The rhesus monkey is of medium size and has a rather dense build. The average weight of males is 7.7 kg. In this case, the body length can reach 53 cm.

The body of the female has a length of 47 cm, with an average weight of 5.3 kg. The pale pink muzzle of this primate does not grow hair. The tail of the animal is 20-23 cm long.

The coat color of the macaque varies. It is gray, brown and sometimes has a greenish-yellow hue. The forelimbs are quite a bit longer than the hind limbs. The rhesus monkey is not at all afraid of water and swims and dives well.

Behavior and nutrition of the rhesus monkey

Rhesus monkeys live in rather large flocks of 20 or more individuals. Moreover, males in such groups are 4 times less than females. Curiously, males and females have separate hierarchy systems.

One of the features of this system is that young females can occupy a higher social position than their mothers. Sometimes a coalition of female daughters opposes the female mother. Biologists have not observed this behavior in any other primate. Young males, upon reaching the age of five, are driven out of the flock by adult males.

Listen to the voice of the rhesus monkey

Rhesus monkeys feed both on the ground and in trees, and move on all four limbs. The diet includes mainly plant foods. As a rule, these are berries, fruits, tree bark, buds, seeds and roots.

If a flock of rhesus monkeys lives far from a water source, then they extract water by licking dew drops from leaves. Monkeys drink rain water, which can accumulate in the hollow of a tree after a rainstorm. Ripe fruits rich in juice are also a source of moisture for these macaques.

Rhesus monkey in the exotarium of the Belgorod Zoo

They also feed on animal food: grasshoppers, termites, beetles and ants.

Rhesus monkeys are characterized by the use of several types of calls when communicating with each other. Macaques make different sounds in different situations. In addition to using vocal signals, these monkeys use facial expressions, postures and gestures to communicate.

The food of the rhesus monkey is plants.

Reproduction and lifespan

During the mating season, a female may mate with 3-4 males. After 164 days of pregnancy, one cub is born, which the mother feeds and protects for about a year.

Sexual maturity in young individuals occurs at 4 years of age. The life expectancy of rhesus monkeys is 28-30 years.

Most of their lives (25 years) in females, the reproductive period continues.

Relationship with a person

Rhesus monkeys are kept in many vivariums and zoos. These monkeys are fairly easy to keep in captivity. In their physiology and anatomy, they are very similar to humans. This gave impetus to the use of this species in scientific research - biological and anatomical. Thanks to the rhesus monkey, the Rh factor, that is, blood compatibility, was discovered at one time.

Meetings on the roads, or 7875 km from Moscow

It was my first meeting on the road, i.e. a freeway with jungle on one side and a university on the other. Hence, perhaps, the phrase "wilds of science" came from.

"The wilds of science": behind the back is the word Sains, translated from Malay - this is Sciences, i.e. exact sciences, ahead of the jungle, between them perpetual motion.

More precisely, on the right in the picture you can see one of the entrances to the university, whose name in Malay is Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). Excuse me, but the entrance itself, as well as our Kampus USM, where at a constant air temperature of +35 C, spectra are taken at 10 K, remained behind the scenes even more to the right. (I will try to leave behind the scenes the exact sciences). And in the center sits a monkey, which labor did not have time to finally turn into a man, fortunately for her. There is no photoshop here. Simply, other primates had already crossed the traffic light at the intersection separating the new university from the old jungle, and a red light flashed in front of the lone thinker.

Traffic light crossing.

And from the height of his position, the macaque watches the fuss, which is called traffic and means the end of the working day for a person. Or maybe the monkey is so accustomed to the university that he is in no hurry to go home? More precisely, there, what is still left of her home - in the tropical jungle of Malaysia.

And the one who returned home, thoughts at the university.

Where is better?

Where we are not.

All in the past.

There are about 100 m between the first and second shots. There are about 5 million years between the way of life of the first and second monkeys. Of the primates, these monkeys are considered the most common after humans and are called macaques (lat. Macaca). Wild macaques live only in Asia, from Afghanistan to Japan, but they are especially fond of the tropical jungle. Although, they also enter stone ones, built on the site of tropical ones.

Stone jungle. Georgetown. View from the 13 km Penang Bridge

Tropical jungle. View from the Genting Skyway cabin, height 1,800 m. By the way, parrots fly into the open windows of TV cabins in the morning.

The mountains of Malaysia are still covered with a curly blanket of tropical jungle. But 60% of them have already been cut down. The man with the saw makes room for himself. As you remember, Homo sapiens (lat. Homo sapiens) is a species of the genus people, a member of the order of primates, which is distinguished by a significant degree of development of material culture (including the manufacture and use of tools), as well as the ability to articulate speech and abstract thinking. Do not be offended, this is how Wikipedia writes about us. And also to a reasonable person, all the time you need to produce something (at the same time harass), extract (more often take away), sell (but not give away).

But, back to the jungles of Malaysia. According to Wikipedia, 240 different tree species can be found on one hectare of tropical jungle. Unfortunately for them. At first, trees were cut down to make room for hevea plantations, which enriched the British, because. Hevea juice was used to obtain expensive natural rubber. Now hevea has been replaced by oil palms. the price of women's cosmetics far exceeds the cost of car tires. But the marmoset family, the second primate family after Homo sapiens, needs neither.

What does a monkey need?

So that a reasonable person does not destroy her home - the tropical jungle. And also, so that he does not accuse her of parasitism just because the monkey wants to live in his own way, and not work for the benefit of all progressive mankind.

Fortunately, approximately 8,500 species of plants remain in the jungles of Peninsular Malaysia, serving as natural food for both monkeys and other animals. And in the island part of Malaysia, there are twice as many plants and animals. Too bad I'm not a biologist. And it is just as difficult to penetrate deep into the jungle as, for example, into the foundations of quantum statistics. The expression "dark forest" is appropriate in both cases. A man, this is not an eagle, he can rise above the jungle only in a telecabin and judge them from above, approximately, how to do science while sitting on the Internet.

The tropical jungle is impenetrable, it is a solid mass of greenery. All trees grow close to each other. But they live together, according to the laws of flora, and not of human society. Under the crowns of trees 40 m high, trees grow 30 m high, and under it - 20 m, and so down to shrubs, under which there are as many layers of water plants growing in streams.

And some of the inhabitants of the tropical jungle can be seen on the border with the stone ones. More precisely, to see from the road passing between the jungle and the university.

Monkey house at the edge of the jungle. The view from the sidewalk, which is fenced off from the jungle with a metal grating, a concrete moat filled with water and a deep earthen moat, also with water. But the monkeys all this - just jump over

Sorry, I just noticed that there are also monkeys sitting on the tree on the right, although it is not a palm tree. I wonder who invented high-rise buildings: a man, or a monkey? Only monkeys in the jungle do not have to pay a man for utilities.

Remember "Martyshkin House" by B. Zakhoder?

"To each his own.
Who has houses
Who has houses
I don't have a home only
At one Monkey!"

Ridiculous verses. Fortunately, monkeys don't read our books. Instead of the Internet, they sit on the green branches, and computer games are replaced by gymnastics, acrobatics, swimming, athletics and other outdoor sports. They do not need gyms, as well as titles, passports and apartments. I must say that the macaque genus is an integral part of the Martyshkov family. It, in turn, consists of 21 species of monkeys. But in each of the monkey families, genera and species, the main meaning of life is in children.

It is more fun to raise a child under the canopy of palm branches. The modern family of the Martyshkovs in their native tropical land.

Monkeys do not need walls, roofs and doors. This is how monkeys have lived for centuries and would like to continue to live this way. And a reasonable person sits behind stone walls all year long, dreaming of sitting under a palm tree during his vacation with the money he earns.

Macaques cannot stand loneliness, they live in groups, each of which has about 100 representatives of different social strata of monkey society. But everyone has gloved hands. The long fingers of the macaque are very reminiscent of lady's fingers, wrapped in a black leather glove, through which perfectly manicured nails appear.

Wild macaques are elegant in their own way: black gloves, long tail and light fur.

I don't know who manicures the monkeys, but the monkeys take care of their fur themselves.

I'm not from the barbershop, I'm from the jungle.

Monkeys are very clean, they love to look after themselves and each other, even if they are representatives of a different kind.

Do you comb your back?

"He attached himself to the resting person, energetically cleaning his fur. from time to time encouraging himself with thin soft cries, and doing his work with the same self-forgetfulness with which an elderly lonely woman sometimes sits at her knitting. With long fingers, Gwenon smoothed and straightened the baboon's fur. At the same time, Gwenon did not look for fleas, which are generally rare in monkeys. Of course, if a flea is found during the search, it will be immediately eaten, but the main goal of the search is the salt crystals that appear in the monkey's coat after the sweat evaporates. These salt crystals are considered a top-notch delicacy among monkeys. The seeker is rewarded with a delicious delicacy, and the one who is searched for salt experiences a pleasant sweet sensation when soft, gentle fingers comb and smooth his fur.(J. Durrell, "The Crowded Ark")

In addition, the monkeys several times a day take a hot shower in the form of a tropical shower, which happens every day in the "dry season" and all day in the "wet". The tropics are +35C and 100% humidity every day. And monkeys quench their thirst very simply - they lick drops of rain, or dew, from their clean fur. But monkeys also like to swim in lakes and rivers, but not like breaststroke turtles, but like children, like a dog.

The macaque's gastronomic tastes are also quite refined and beautiful, she loves everything bright: the orange softness of the fruits of the oil palm tree (and this is a very expensive raw material for humans), bananas, oranges and mangoes.

From the mango there was only one bone ....

By the way, the monkey family is included in the order of primates, which is considered the most progressive order of mammals, including humans. The entire Monkey family is subdivided into 80 species, including: monkeys, macaques, baboons, baboons, etc. This, by the way, is the only modern family of "dog-headed" monkeys. So, no wonder a dog is a man's best friend.

Modern representatives of "dog-headed" monkeys are smarter than dogs. The monkey misses the ball thrown by the man. She is not advised by her senior friend.

True, the word "comrade" in a monkey pack sounds as wild as, for example, "enlightened absolutism." An absolute monarchy reigns in the monkey flock. And a strict social hierarchy, the lower ones unquestioningly obey the higher ones, more precisely, those sitting on the palm tree. And the ignorant are warned. I was also warned to remove the camera.

A warning.

I don’t know who, how, and when chooses the leader, but he is the largest in the pack. He gets the first piece, and while the leader is eating, others do not even have the right to look at the food. The Malays call the leader of the monkey group "boss".

The leader deigns to dine.

The leader, he is the boss, monitors the safety and compliance with the strict in the pack. He controls his subordinates with just a glance. True, at this glance, the hair on the back of the neck stands on end.

It seems that in the depths of the jungle, someone is breaking the social hierarchy.

But the Leader has not only a look, but also steep biceps, and a lip cut with a battle scar. And when he thinks, the secretary stands on her hind legs.

Leader and secretary.

But power is held with teeth. The leader loves to show them. Once I saw how the Leader dealt with a monkey from a neighboring flock that entered the grass of his territory. I was scared.

Head teeth.

But most of all, the Leader loves himself. Even the "First Lady of the Pack", i.e. wife with a child, Leader in second place. Until he is satisfied, he will not even get a gnawed bone from a mango. But every macaque dreams of becoming the leader's wife.

Family portrait in the interior.

Watching the monkey group on the palm tree, I noticed that the leader has many helpers. One cannot cope with a hundred smart monkeys. The leader, usually, sits at the very top, to intimidate periodically shakes the trunk of a palm tree and calls out in a rough voice, reminiscent of a dog barking. And his associates, occupying the lower branches, observe what is happening and transmit the message upward.

Observer

This observer quickly noticed me and the camera aimed at him, he shouted something to the one sitting above and began to descend with the expression of a guard on his face.

Security guard

I, as a reasonable person, decided to run away. There's more that I was more attracted to the cubs, not the adult macaques.

In the lower strata of ape society, relationships resemble those of humans.

The monkey with the child is tired and preoccupied.

A monkey, not burdened with a family, is pleased with itself.

But for some reason, lonely and well-groomed monkeys are not very fond of. And tired mothers with children are guarded by a flock. Natural selection, however. Macaque gives birth to one cub. For about a year, he feeds on the milk of his mother, who always wears it on her chest, trying to be in the shade of thick branches. Therefore, photographing a vigilant mother with a child is especially difficult.

Macaque with a baby.

mother and child

A year later, the monkey cub sits on the parents' neck in the full sense of the word.

Family on a walk.

The first steps. Slipped on the descent

At the age of 7, the son of a macaque becomes an adult, and the leader orders him to leave his native group. This is a wise decision: sitting on the neck of your parents, you will not learn how to live. And in modern China, in its mainland, a serious problem has arisen: 60% of adult children continue to sit on their parents' necks. Who is smarter?

I'm already an adult.

And daughters can stay with their parents for a long time.

Mom does the best.

Tired of shooting scenes from the life of wild monkeys, I lowered the camera and found two large black stones under a palm tree. Suddenly, they stirred, turned around and turned out to be two boars.

Law of the jungle - wild boars are friends with monkeys..

I was scared, I remembered the fangs and carcasses that my husband brought me from hunting in Algeria. But the macaques continued to sit next to the boars, as if nothing had happened. And the wild boars at that time ate the same berries as the monkeys. Probably, the ability to live together is the law of the real jungle. The boars saw me and ran away.

And at this time, a new Toyota stopped by the side of the road. The driver opened the trunk and took out a crate of fruit. Father and son came to feed the animals.

Bananas from the store are also edible..

The monkeys descended, but did not approach.

It's better to wait, you never know what a person has in mind ....

Monkeys raised in the jungle do not trust humans. But they express distrust with dignity. If they don't like someone, they just turn their backs on him. A fashion model is a person, not a monkey. But in Buddhism, such behavior of monkeys is considered wise. In Japan, above the door of the Shinto shrine Toshogu, protected by UNESCO, there are sculptures of three wise monkeys "mizaru, kikazaru, ivazaru" - "I see nothing, I hear nothing, I say nothing (bad)". Maybe that's why the Japanese work so well?

Three wise monkeys. Japanese figurine.

This behavior of the monkeys does not contradict the saying of Confucius: "Do not look at what is wrong; Do not listen to what is wrong; Do not say what is wrong." Good thing monkeys don't have television. True, in the resort areas the monkeys behave like gypsies, but these are no longer wild monkeys.

And in the jungle, if a monkey sees a threat to his cub, his eyes flash with a bright yellow light, his mane rises, and the monkey becomes like a lion. The closest macaques let a person in a car approach them. Maybe the monkeys consider the car to be a metal cage and therefore are not afraid of passengers. The Malays know this and in the morning, going to work, they feed the monkeys on the go. Those who are poorer throw an apple or a banana to the monkeys directly from the motorcycle. Those who are richer pour a box of fruit behind the barrier and leave so as not to spoil the monkeys' appetite. Likewise, from a motorbike on the move, the Malays throw colorful pieces of papaya to the hornbills. The local population does not keep monkeys at home. After all, you can love even at a distance without imposing your own rules: how to live, what to eat, what to do.

And the Malays also say that if the monkeys used to live in these places, now they have the right to feel at home here, despite the fact that luxurious villas have grown on the site of the jungle. The owners of these villas often come to the edge of the jungle to feed the monkeys.

Breakfast on the grass

I was amazed with what dignity and how carefully the monkeys ate bananas: they peeled, broke off in small pieces, none of the monkeys pushed, cursed or slurped. It is a pity that not all people are descended from monkeys.

Father and son looked at the monkeys from the car window. I also decided not to disturb the monkeys and went home. In addition, the sun was hot, the battery power of the camera was coming to an end, and the towel, which had to wipe his forehead every minute, became wet.

*************************************************************************************

At the house in the parking lot, I was met by security guards. Whether on duty, or because of their nature, they always ask where I go and where I come from. Like, "Morning, miss, where's mister? What's wrong, why are you alone? Where are you going?"

Pug-e-e, mister security! I'm heading to a nearby bakery.

Be careful. Keep your wallet tight.

In general, I respect the police, detectives and security guards. They have saved us and our money more than once in Manila, Beijing, and South Korea. If nature has created criminals, it must also create security guards. And in Malaysia, the police are beautiful, especially the completely black and very long-legged Tamil girls. And our guards, who regularly do "under the visor", may want to show off their uniforms, shoulders and epaulettes. I always give a couple of compliments to their bikes in return.

This time, when I got out of the car, hung with cameras, with a wet towel and completely exhausted, the guards seemed to think that I had fallen off the bridge into the river.

Morning, miss, where is mister? What happened, why are you alone? And where have you been?

Pug-e-e, mister security! I was in the nearby jungle. Photographed monkeys.

Ahh, monkeys…” the guards smiled as they stepped out into the sun from under the air conditioner.

Be careful. Hold the camera tight - added one of them.

As when meeting with motorcyclists: not on the shoulder, but over the shoulder? I clarified.

Monkeys love shiny toys that people turn in their hands, the elder remarked importantly.

And my daughter's monkey snatched ice cream from her hands, took off the foil and climbed with it on a palm tree - the junior security guard added.

Do you love monkeys?

Yes, we love, especially the little ones! Both guards smiled even wider.

Me too.

Selamat bergembira, miss! Have a good day!

Selamat bergembira, gentlemen of the security!

*************************************************************************

Finally I am at home. Air conditioning, shower, coffee, Google! What do they write about the monkeys I like?

I'm typing the word "macaque". Displayed: "monkey price"; "I propose to buy babies of great apes," and then a bunch of ads like: "buy ... sell .. prices in Moscow."

My God, how many such announcements! It would be better if the Malayan security guards blocked these Russian sites as well. I go to Wikipedia, there are mainly habitats, food and reproduction.

I turn to the English WIKI, there is more information compared to Russian. It turns out that almost all (73-100%) of domesticated and captured macaques carry the herpes B virus, which is harmless to monkeys but deadly to humans. Now it is clear why monkeys have never been pets in Southeast Asia.

Unlike Russian, the English WIKI has a Human usage section. This is for those who have strong nerves: Great apes are widely used as experimental animals. And not only cosmetic preparations are tested on primates. Great apes are often used in toxicological tests, for the study of AIDS and hepatitis, xenotransplantation, reproduction processes, as well as in neurological, psychological, and genetic studies. Monkeys have also been used to develop a polio vaccine and deep brain stimulation. Monkeys are usually caught in the wild, and in order to catch a baby monkey, you must first kill his mother. In the US and China, most monkeys are bred. In Europe, imported monkeys are usually used. In total, about 70,000 monkeys are used each year in the US and the EU. Most of them are macaques. (WIKI).

First, animals are infected with incurable human diseases, and then they are maimed, testing new potent drugs. Having completed the study, Homo sapiens kills the crippled monkeys in the gas chambers. Not a single predator thought of such atrocities. By the way, "people" in white coats and rubber gloves, conducting experiments on animals, become ruthless even to their own newborn children. Such a "person" is incapable of loving children, people, or animals.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:77-cm_primate_cage.jpg

Primates in a cage. In Europe and the US, over 65,000 primates are used as experimental animals every year.

MONKEYS

Our ancestors, your ancestors
On one branch swayed
And now they keep us in a cage...
Is it good, kids?

(Boris Zakhoder, "Shaggy alphabet")

On one branch

To be continued.

Malaysia.

April 2012

♦ Heading: , .
Tags: > >

The most northern monkey, unpretentious, covered with thick fur.

Systematics

Russian name - Japanese macaque, Snow monkey

Latin name - Macaca fuscata

English name - Japanese macaque, Snow monkey

Class - Mammals (Mammalia)

Order - Primates

Family - Monkeys (Cercopithecidae)

Genus - Macaque (Macaca)

There are two subspecies of the Japanese macaque - Macaca fuscata fuscata, the most common and characterized by a rounded shape of the eye sockets, and Macaca fuscata yakui, living only on Yakushima Island and having oval eye sockets.

The status of the species in nature

The existence of these monkeys in nature is currently not threatened, however, international trade in these animals is limited by the Convention - CITES II.

The total number of Japanese macaques is 114.5 thousand.

View and person

Japanese macaques coexist quite peacefully next to humans. Perhaps it is this species of monkeys that has been studied better than others. There are populations of individually identifiable animals that have been closely monitored for more than 50 years. It is the Japanese macaques that people owe the deepest knowledge about the behavior and social organization of primate communities. This knowledge is of great help to ethologists and psychologists in constructing scientific hypotheses.

Japanese macaques, with their unusual behavior, actively attract tourists, who bring considerable income to the country.

Distribution area and habitats

The very name of these monkeys indicates the location of their range - the Japanese Islands, or rather, northern Japan. Macaques live in all types of forests - from subtropical to mountainous, they also go to the sea coast, where they enter the sea, swim and even dive in search of algae. Winter in the habitats of Japanese macaques lasts 4 months, and the average air temperature at this time of the year is -5 ° - not the most comfortable weather for monkeys. Japanese macaques are known for climbing into hot springs in cold weather, of which there are many in Japan.

Folk legends tell that the first monkey was in the source by accident - he collected spilled food and fell into the water. Once in a warm "bath", she hesitated to get out onto land, and the rest of the macaques, noticing the contented expression on the muzzle of their tribeswoman, followed her example. Since that time, periodic bathing has become widespread.

In 1972, one of the North American farmers brought one and a half hundred Japanese macaques to his ranch. A few years later, the monkeys escaped safely through a leaky fence and formed a free-living population in Texas.

Appearance

The Japanese macaque is distinguished by its strong build and powerful limbs. It is heavier than other macaque species by weight; males weigh an average of 11 kg with a height of 80-95 cm, females are lower and weigh an average of 9 kg. The fur is quite long; a thick undercoat grows for the winter. Coloring in different animals has pleasant shades from brownish-gray through grayish-blue to brown-olive; the belly is painted in lighter colors. The coat on the forelimbs, shoulders and back is longer than on other parts of the body, and on the chest and abdomen the coat is less developed.

Tail no more than 10 cm; ischial calluses, characteristic of macaques and monkeys, are small. There are cheek pouches, which are two internal folds on both sides of the mouth, forming skin outgrowths directed downward and hanging down to the level of the chin. The skin, which is light on the whole body, on the face and near the tail, becomes intensely pink and even red when the monkey becomes an adult. Sexual differences in adult animals are clearly visible, despite the fact that representatives of both sexes wear a beard and sideburns - males are more massive than females.

The eyes are protected by superciliary ridges, more pronounced in males. Of all the senses, vision is the most developed. It is, like a human, stereoscopic, which means that the macaque sees a three-dimensional image and estimates the distance.

The limbs are five-fingered, the thumbs on both hands and feet are opposed to the rest, which allows both to hold onto all kinds of objects and to perform rather subtle manipulations with them. The most developed part of the brain is the cerebral cortex.

Lifestyle and social behavior

The Japanese macaque is a diurnal animal; like other primates, it spends most of its time looking for food. Periods of activity alternate with periods of relative rest, when the animals eat food placed in their cheek pouches, communicate with each other, or simply take a nap. To communicate with relatives, the Japanese macaque has an extensive repertoire of facial expressions and sound signals.

Japanese macaques live in groups of up to 20 individuals, in which individuals of both sexes are present. Each group has its own habitat. The leader of the group is a large strong male, and, as it turned out, not the most aggressive, but the most "smart". The decisive role in the choice of leader is played by the main female, or a group of females, between which there are the closest social ties. The change of the alpha male (leader) occurs either in the event of his death, or when a large group breaks up, when a vacant position is formed. The relations of females in the group are built on the basis of dominance-submission. Studies have shown that daughters inherit their mother's status, with younger daughters having a higher rank than their older sisters. Young males, growing up, leave the group, form bachelor "companies", or join other groups where there are females, occupying the lower levels of the hierarchy. Daughters usually stay with their mothers.

Of particular importance in the behavior of monkeys is grooming - cleaning the coat of a partner. This behavior performs important functions - hygienic and social. Grooming enables animals to build and strengthen their relationships in the group. For example, the dominant individual is cleaned especially long and carefully in order to express his “respect” to her, and at the same time to enlist support in case of a conflict. There are many theories to explain the reasons for grooming, but it is clear that the monkey enjoys being groomed.

Japanese macaques have become famous for their ability to learn. This story began in 1950. On the island of Koshima, researchers from the University of Tokyo began to give macaques sweet potato - sweet potato, scattering it on the ground. By 1952, the monkeys began to actively eat it. The animals liked the sweet potato, but they didn't like the sand that stuck to it. At first, the monkeys cleaned the dirt and sand with their paws and ate the treat, but one day, in 1953, a one and a half year old female named Imo, before eating the sweet potato, washed it from the dirt in the river. From that moment on, she began to do this all the time. Her mother and sister were the first to follow her example, and by 1959, 15 out of 19 young monkeys that lived on the island, and 2 out of 11 adults, were already washing sweet potatoes. By January 1962, almost all the monkeys in the colony of Fr. Cosima habitually washed potatoes before eating. Only a few adult monkeys born before 1950 did not learn how to do this.

When a new form of behavior, which initially appeared in one individual, is gradually perceived by others, this is nothing more than the transfer of information between members of the community. This process lies already at the origins of culture - protoculture, as experts call it, or monkey culture.

Currently, Japanese macaques "wash" wheat mixed with sand, throwing it into the water, and thus separating the two components. In addition, these monkeys are famous for making snowballs in winter, apparently just for fun.

Feeding and feeding behavior

Japanese macaques are unpretentious creatures and are illegible in food. Scientists have found that they eat about 213 species of plants - they eat shoots, fruits, even bark. They enjoy catching insects in the summer. In winter, when food is scarce, they look for nuts, gnaw on tree bark and young twigs, and eat food waste.

During feeding, macaques actively use their cheek pouches, stuffing them with delicious food. When the group rests, nuts or other food is taken out of the bags and eaten. In order to squeeze food out of the bag into the oral cavity, muscle efforts are not enough, and the monkey has to help himself with his hands.

Interesting behavior is seen in groups of macaques using hot springs. After a hot bath in wet wool, it is even colder in the frost, and those monkeys who have not bathed bring food to those taking a bath. True, the macaques, sitting in warm water in winter, are actively fed by tourists.

Vocalization

Japanese macaques have a fairly rich acoustic repertoire. They can scream loudly, and in different situations, these cries are different. While feeding or moving through the forest, monkeys often make characteristic gurgling sounds, thanks to which each individual knows where the rest of the group is.

Reproduction and education of offspring

Japanese macaques have a pronounced seasonality in breeding, which is an adaptation to the harsh living conditions. Since there are several sexually mature males in the group, the father of all born babies is not necessarily the main male. The leader mates primarily with dominant females, and females, in turn, often reject the claims of young "impudent". Young males often leave their group in summer to try their luck on the side, but return by winter.

Pregnancy lasts from 170 to 180 days, the cub is born alone, twins are extremely rare. The weight of the baby at birth is about 500 grams, after a couple of hours he clings tightly to the mother's coat. In the first month, he "rides" on his chest, then more and more often - on the back of his parent. The arrival of a newborn is an event for the whole group. Females always come up and touch him. When a little monkey grows up, his aunts and older sisters nurse and play with him with pleasure, but the baby runs to his mother to escape from violent games. Milk feeding lasts up to a year, but for a long time the mother takes care of him, warms him in the cold winter. Only at the age of three does a young animal become a full-fledged member of a teenage company, at which time her mother already has a new newborn.

Lifespan

In nature, macaques live for 25-30 years, longer in captivity.

History of Life at the Zoo

The first Japanese macaque appeared in our zoo in 1978, having arrived from Sweden. Later, more monkeys were brought in, and a breeding group formed. For many years, Japanese macaques have been living in an enclosure near the bridge leading from the Old Territory to the New Territory. In the open enclosure, they walk all year round and always have free access to a small indoor enclosure, where it is warm in winter. However, these monkeys are not embarrassed by the Moscow winters; up to 20 degrees of frost, they go out for a walk. Macaques do not like only sudden deep snow. Then they may not dare to leave the warm room for 1-2 days. In the outdoor enclosure there is a pool where they drink water in the summer and occasionally bathe.

They feed Japanese macaques twice a day: they give fruits, vegetables, branches, cereals, eggs, cottage cheese.

Unfortunately, visitors often throw not only bread and bananas into the enclosure (which is also not worth doing - their metabolism is disturbed from an excess of carbohydrates), but also dangerous objects that monkeys can get hurt on. Please don't do this, take care of our animals!

Monkey (anthropoid, the highest primate) is a mammal that is closest in structure to humans, belongs to the order of primates, the suborder of dry-nosed primates, the infraorder monkey-like (Simiiformes).

The origin of the Russian word “monkey” is quite interesting. Until the 16th century, the monkey in Russia was called “opitsa” - just as the Czechs call it now. At the same time, the Persians called the monkey "busine". According to one version, Afanasy Nikitin brought this name with him from his travels and used it in his work “Journey Beyond the Three Seas”. According to another version, the monkey got its name from the word "abuzina". At the same time, Ushakov's dictionary specifies that "abuzina" is translated from Arabic as "father of fornication".

Monkey - description, characteristics, structure, photo. What does a monkey look like?

The body length of an adult monkey can vary from 15 cm (for a pygmy marmoset) to 2 meters (for a male gorilla). The weight of the monkey also depends on the species. If the body weight of a small monkey barely reaches 150 grams, then individual gorillas weigh up to 275 kg.

Most arboreal monkey species have long backs, short and narrow chests, and thin hips.

Gibbons and orangutans have a wide chest, as well as massive pelvic bones.

Some monkeys have a long tail that exceeds the length of the body and acts as a balancer when moving through the trees.

Apes living on the ground are distinguished by a short tail, while the great apes do not have a tail at all.

The body of the monkeys is to some extent covered with hair of various colors from light brown and red to black and white and gray-olive.

Adults sometimes turn gray over the years, and male monkeys even go bald in the same way as people.

Monkeys are characterized by mobile, well-developed upper limbs, endowed with 5 fingers, the phalanxes of which end in nails, as well as opposition of the thumb.

The extent to which the monkey's arms and legs are developed depends directly on the lifestyle.

Monkeys, who spend most of their lives in trees, have short thumbs, which makes it easy to fly from branch to branch with the help of limb swings.

But, for example, the feet of baboons are long and graceful, convenient for walking on the ground.

The vision of most monkeys is binocular, and the whites of the eyes are as black as the pupils.

The dentition is similar to that of humans, but differs between narrow-nosed and broad-nosed monkeys. Narrow-nosed monkeys have 32 teeth, broad-nosed monkeys have 36.

The teeth of great apes are massive and have a complex root structure.

The brain of the monkey is well developed and has a complex structure.

Great apes have highly developed parts of the brain responsible for meaningful movements.

Monkeys communicate using a special signal system, consisting of facial expressions and sounds. Monkeys and capuchins are considered especially noisy and talkative.

Both ways of transmitting information in monkeys are well developed and can demonstrate the widest range of feelings, which is expressed, first of all, by rich facial expressions.

Monkeys live on almost all continents: in Europe (namely, in Gibraltar), in the south and southeast of Asia (in the countries of the Arabian Peninsula, in China, Japan), in Africa (except Madagascar), in the tropical and subtropical regions of Central and South America, in Australia. Monkeys do not inhabit Antarctica.

Chimpanzee live in the countries of West and Central Africa: Senegal, Guinea, Angola, Congo, Chad, Cameroon and others.

Habitat macaques extends from hot Afghanistan to the countries of Southeast Asia, including Japan. On the territory of North Africa and Gibraltar, the Magot macaque lives, representing the family as the only species. Macaques live in Cambodia and Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines, not too large populations are found in Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.

Gorillas live in the equatorial forests of western and central Africa. Populations are found in the Gambia and Cameroon, in Mauritania and Chad, inhabit Guinea and Benin.

orangutans live only in the humid forests of the islands of Kalimantan and Sumatra.

Monkeys howler monkeys live mainly in the countries of southern Mexico and Brazil, in Bolivia and Argentina.

Monkeys live in Southeast Asia, throughout the Arabian Peninsula and the African continent. In Europe, monkeys live only on Gibraltar.

Almost all varieties gibbons live only in the Asian region. Their natural range is the forest areas of India and Malaysia, the humid tropical thickets of Burma, Cambodia and Thailand, Vietnam and China.

Hamadryas (baboons) distributed almost throughout Africa, being the only primates living in the northeastern part of the continent (Egypt and Sudan). Baboons are also found on the territory of the Arabian Peninsula.

Habitat capuchins includes vast expanses of tropical rainforest from Honduras in the north of the range to southern Brazil and Venezuela in the south.

tamarins prefer to settle in the warmest regions of Central America, in climate-friendly Costa Rica and in favorable South America - that is, almost throughout the entire area of ​​​​the fertile Amazonian lowland. Certain types of tamarins feel great in Bolivia and in Brazil.

Monkeys baboons very widespread in Central and East Africa: they live in Kenya and Uganda, in Ethiopia and Sudan, in the Congo and Angola.

Monkeys saki- Inhabitants of South America. Found in Venezuela, Colombia, Chile.

How do monkeys live?

Some monkeys live in trees: some prefer to live in the very crowns, others live in the lower tiers, but leave their homes in case of emergency.

Terrestrial monkeys live in a certain individual area, but the borders are rarely guarded. Random confrontations between a dominant male and a lone male usually end in a visual display of superiority, and it rarely comes to a fight.

The average life expectancy of monkeys is 30-40 years, some monkeys live up to 50 years.

Monkeys are omnivorous animals, and the diet of each species depends on the habitat. Tree monkeys eat what can be obtained from trees: leaves, buds, young shoots, nuts, fruits. Sometimes insects are added to food.

Terrestrial monkeys have a much greater choice of food: they eat the rhizomes and shoots of plants, including ferns - a favorite delicacy of the gorilla.

All monkeys have a varied diet and, in addition to various sugary fruits (figs, mangoes,), they are happy to eat fish, shellfish, rodents, and everything else edible that they can find or catch.

Some species of monkeys eat a certain type of food: for example, Japanese short-tailed macaques eat only tree bark, the crabs-eating macaque feeds exclusively on crabs, and marmosets mine and eat gum with their long incisors.

Chimpanzees, in addition to being the only monkey species capable of creating hunting equipment to facilitate the process of obtaining food, attack birds, small animals and medium-sized monkeys, including other chimpanzees.

But baboons always hunt in large groups, therefore they are one of the most dangerous predators of the jungle.

Types of monkeys, names and photos

The infraorder Apes is subdivided into 2 parvoorders:

• broad-nosed monkeys(Platyrrhini), which includes species of monkeys that live in Central and South America.
• narrow-nosed monkeys(Catarrhini) - species of monkeys living in Africa, Asia, 1 species lives in Europe (Gibraltar).

The modern classification identifies more than 400 species of monkeys or higher primates. Each type of monkey is individual in its own way, but they all have common features. Among the diversity of representatives of the order of primates, the following varieties of monkeys are of greatest interest:

• (Alouatta caraya)

member of the spider monkey family. The howler monkey makes characteristic roaring sounds that can be heard for 5 km. The males are covered with black wool, the female monkey is distinguished by a yellow-brown or olive color, the cubs are colored golden yellow. The length of the male monkey is 52-67 cm with a weight of 6.7 kg, the females are much smaller and grow up to 49 cm in size with a weight of 4.4 kg. The basis of the diet is fruits and foliage. The howler monkey lives in Paraguay, Brazil, Bolivia and Argentina.

• Mourning capuchin(Cebus olivaceus)

species of monkeys from the chain-tailed family. The weight of the male monkey reaches 3 kg, the female is a third smaller. The color of the monkey is brown or light brown, with a grayish tinge, on the head there is a characteristic triangle of black hair. Inside the pack, infanticide is practiced - the deliberate killing of cubs, as well as grooming - the mutual sorting of wool. To protect themselves from blood-sucking insects, monkeys rub themselves with poisonous centipedes. Black capuchins are omnivorous and eat a variety of insects, small vertebrates, fruits, and young shoots of trees. They live in the crowns of the virgin forests of Brazil, Venezuela and Suriname.

• Crowned monkey (blue monkey)(Cercopithecus mitis)

got its name due to the gray color with a blue tint and a white stripe of wool passing over the eyebrows like a crown. The body length of an adult is from 50 to 65 cm, body weight is 4-6 kg. The male monkey is distinguished by well-developed white whiskers and long fangs compared to females. This species of animal is widespread in the forests and bamboo groves of the African continent, from the Congo Basin to Ethiopia, Zambia and Angola.

• White-handed gibbon (lar) (Hylobates lar)

species of great apes of the gibbon family. Adult monkeys of both sexes grow up to 55-63 cm in length and have a body weight of 4-5.5 kg. The color of the monkey's fur can be black, brown or sand, and the arms and legs are always white. The basis of the monkey's diet is fruits, leaves and insects. White-handed gibbons are monogamous and lead a predominantly arboreal lifestyle in the rainforests of China and the Malay Archipelago.

• eastern gorilla(Gorilla beringei)

the biggest monkey in the world. According to famous zoologists, a giant male gorilla was killed by hunters at the beginning of the last century: his height was 2 m 32 cm. Usually, the size of a male monkey reaches 185 cm with a body weight of 160 kg (sometimes 220 kg). Gorilla females are much smaller, the body length of an adult is 150 cm and weighs 70-114 kg. Massive animals, characterized by a large head, broad shoulders, developed chest and long legs. The color of the coat is mostly black, in the subspecies of mountain gorillas it casts blue. A strip of silvery fur runs along the back of seasoned males. Monkeys feed on all parts of plants, less often on invertebrates and fungi.

• Pale saki (white-headed saki)(Pithecia pithecia)

a species of broad-nosed monkeys with long and shaggy hair, rarely leaving the trees. The size of adult animals reaches from 30 to 48 cm in length, the male monkey weighs about 2 kg, the female monkey is slightly lighter. The black color of the coat of males contrasts markedly with the white or pink complexion. The females are black-gray or gray-brown and similarly pale. The monkeys' food consists of seeds and fruits from various trees native to Venezuela, Suriname and Brazil.

• Hamadryl (frilled baboon)(Papio hamadryas)

a species of narrow-nosed monkeys of the genus baboons, spending their entire lives on earth. The body length of adult males is 70-100 cm with a weight of about 30 kg. The female monkey is 2 times smaller than the male. The male monkey is distinguished by the original location of the hairline: long hair on the shoulders and chest forms a kind of fur cape. The color of the fur resembles the color of dry grass, and the female monkey is colored darker. The diet of hamadryas is dominated by plant rhizomes, insects, worms and snails, as well as crops from nearby plantations. Hamadryla monkeys live in the open spaces of African and Asian countries: Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Nubia, Yemen.

• nosach, or kahau (Nasalis larvatus)

an animal from the subfamily of thin-bodied monkeys of the monkey family. The monkey lives exclusively on the island of Borneo, forming populations in the tropical forests of its coastal regions. The color of the nosed monkey is yellowish-brown, with a whitish undercoat. The coat on the limbs and tail of the monkey has a gray tint, the muzzle is hairless, often bright red. The size of the mammal varies from 66 to 77 cm, with the monkey's tail being about the same length. The weight of a male is 15-22 kg, female monkeys are usually twice as light. A special difference between the proboscis is an unusual hanging nose. In males, with age, it grows to a huge size, so the monkey has to hold his nose to eat leaves, fruits or flowers of plants.

• Japanese macaque ( Macaca fuscata)

a species of monkey, mainly living in the northern part of the island of Honshu. At the end of the last century, a small population of Japanese macaques was artificially settled in Texas, where today these animals feel great. The population living on Yakushima Island is usually classified as a separate subspecies - Macaca fuscata yakui, which is associated with some differences in the behavior and appearance of macaques. The height of the male Japanese macaque varies between 80-95 cm, weight - from 12 to 14 kg, the female monkey is slightly lower, and almost 1.5 times less in weight. The macaque monkey is the owner of bright red skin, which is especially noticeable on the muzzle and buttocks, which are completely devoid of wool. Thick wool has a dark gray color with a slight brown tint. The tail of the monkey is quite short, rarely exceeding a length of 10 cm. Japanese macaques usually choose forests, both tropical and located in mountainous areas, as their habitat. They are kept in groups, often reaching 100 individuals, where a strict hierarchy reigns. In the northern regions of Japan, where the snow cover lasts for 3-4 months and the average winter air temperature is -4-5 ° C, macaques survive frosty days in natural hot springs, basking in their thermal waters. Surprisingly, in order not to freeze wet on a campaign for food, these resourceful monkeys make a duty schedule: while some individuals sit in warm water, others, with dry hair, bring food to them. Monkeys feed on leaves and roots of plants, sweet fruits of tropical trees, bird eggs, insects, mollusks and crustaceans, and fish.

• Sumatran orangutan ( Pongo abelii)

a species of monkey that lives exclusively on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The Sumatran orangutan is a fairly large animal. The growth of an adult male can reach one and a half meters or more with a weight of 150-165 kg. Females have somewhat smaller dimensions - their height does not exceed 1 meter, and their weight is 50-55 kg. Monkeys have well-developed muscles, a massive body covered with hard, reddish-brown hair, which is quite long in the shoulder area. The forelimbs of an orangutan in a span often reach 3 meters, the hind limbs are short, with wide, stable feet. The males of the Sumatran orangutan are distinguished by an unusual muzzle: clearly defined fatty rollers are located on the cheeks, and the beard and mustache give the animal a slightly funny look. The diet of the Sumatran orangutan is dominated mainly by plant foods - leaves, bark, nuts, sweet fruits, however, the monkey will not refuse to eat bird eggs and chicks, grasshoppers, spiders

• common chimpanzee ( Pan troglodytes)

a species of monkey whose habitat covers the forested areas of the tropics and humid savannahs of the African continent, especially its western and central parts. Sexually mature male chimpanzees reach a height of 140-160 cm, and monkeys weigh in the range of 65-80 kg. Females weigh 40-50 kg with a height of 120-130 cm. The body of animals is covered with very coarse, hard wool of a dark brown hue. Near the mouth and on the coccyx, the coat is partially white, but the feet, palms and muzzle of the monkey are completely devoid of it. Common chimpanzees are practically omnivorous, although the bulk of the diet is still plant foods. These monkeys are happy to eat nuts and fruits, sweet potato leaves and tubers, feed on mushrooms and termites, feast on sweet honey, bird eggs and small vertebrates. It is not uncommon for a flock of chimpanzees to successfully hunt red colobuses (primates from the marmoset family) and even young ungulates, making up for the lack of nutrients with meat. Chimpanzee monkeys are the only primates that can create a semblance of tools that facilitate the process of obtaining food: they skillfully sharpen the ends of sticks and twigs, turning them into an imitation of a spear, use palm leaves as traps for insects, use stones as projectiles.

• pygmy marmoset ( Cebuella pygmaea)

it is the smallest monkey in the world. Adults grow up to 10-15 cm in length and weigh from 100 to 150 g. They inhabit the forests of South America and feed mainly on tree sap.

The northernmost and, logically, the most frost-resistant monkeys live in the Land of the Rising Sun. The scientific name of the species is the Japanese macaque (not the macaque, as we used to say).

Description of the Japanese macaque

To date, 2 subspecies of the Japanese macaque, which is part of the marmoset family, have been described.. These are the Macaca fuscata yakui (with oval eye sockets) exclusive to Yakushima Island and the more numerous Macaca fuscata fuscata (with round eye sockets) inhabiting several other islands.

Appearance

Japanese monkeys look more powerful, strong and heavy compared to other macaques. Males grow to almost a meter (0.8–0.95 m), gaining up to 11 kg. Females are slightly lower and lighter (average weight does not exceed 9 kg). The beard and sideburns, characteristic of both sexes, do not interfere with distinguishing between males and females, since sexual dimorphism is quite pronounced.

By winter, long fur is complemented by growing thick undercoat. The longest hair is observed on the shoulders, forelimbs and back, and the shortest - on the abdomen and chest. The fur is colored differently: from gray-blue to gray-brown and olive with a brown tint. The belly is always lighter than the back and limbs.

Superciliary ridges hang over the eyes, more convex in males. The most developed area of ​​the brain is the cerebral cortex.

It is interesting! The sight of the macaque is extremely developed (in comparison with other sense organs) and is very similar to the human. It is stereoscopic: the monkey estimates the distance and sees a three-dimensional picture.

The Japanese macaque has cheek pouches - two internal skin outgrowths on both sides of the mouth, hanging down to the chin. On the limbs there are five fingers, where the thumb is opposed to the others. Such a palm allows you to both hold objects and easily manipulate them.

The Japanese macaque has small ischial calluses (typical of all monkeys), and the tail does not grow longer than 10 cm. As the monkey grows older, its light skin (on the muzzle and near the tail) becomes rich pink and even red.

Lifestyle, character

The Japanese macaque is active during the day, searching for food in a favorite position on all fours.. Females sit more in trees, while males roam the ground more often. Periods of intense foraging give way to rest, when macaques communicate with each other, take a nap or chew cheek reserves.

Often, at their leisure, animals clean the wool of their relatives. This kind of grooming performs 2 functions, hygienic and social. In the latter case, macaques build and consolidate relationships within the group. So, they clean the fur of the dominant individual for a very long time and carefully, expressing their special respect and, at the same time, hoping for its support in a conflict situation.

Hierarchy

Japanese macaques create a community (10-100 individuals) with a fixed territory, led by a large male, who is distinguished not so much by strength as by intelligence. The rotation of the alpha male is possible in the event of his death or in the event of the breakup of the former group into two. The decision to choose a leader is made by a dominant female or several females related by blood and social ties.

A subordination/dominance scheme also works between females, and it turned out that daughters automatically inherit the status of their mother. In addition, young sisters are one step higher than older sisters.

Daughters, even growing up, do not leave their mothers, while sons leave the family, creating bachelor companies. Sometimes they adjoin foreign groups where there are females, but occupy a low position here.

Sound signals

The Japanese macaque, as a social primate, needs constant communication with relatives and strangers, for which he uses an extensive arsenal of sounds, gestures and facial expressions.

Zoologists have classified 6 types of verbal signals, establishing that half of them are friendly in nature:

• peaceful;
• infant;
• warning;
• protective;
• during the estrus period;
• aggressive.

It is interesting! When moving through the forest and during a meal, Japanese macaques make specific gurgling sounds that help group members determine their location.

Ability to learn

In 1950, biologists at the University of Tokyo decided to train the macaques living on about. Cosima, to yam (sweet potato), scattering it on the ground. In 1952, they were already eating sweet potatoes, cleaning sand and dirt with their paws, until a 1.5-year-old female Imo washed the sweet potato in river water.

Her behavior was copied by her sister and mother, and by 1959, 15 out of 19 young monkeys and 2 out of eleven adult monkeys were rinsing the tubers in the river. In 1962, the habit of washing sweet potatoes before eating became established in almost all Japanese macaques, except for those born before 1950.

Now Japanese macaques can also wash wheat mixed with sand: they throw the mixture into the water, separating both ingredients. Along with this, macaques have learned how to make snowballs. Biologists suggest that this is how they seal excess products in the snow, which they will feast on later.

Lifespan

In nature, Japanese macaques live up to 25-30 years, in captivity - more. In terms of life expectancy, females are slightly ahead of males: the former live (on average) for 32 years, while the latter live for about 28 years.

Range, habitats

The natural range of the Japanese macaque covers three islands - Kyushu, Shikoku and Honshu.

On the island of Yakushima, the southernmost in the archipelago of the Japanese Islands, Macaca fuscata yakui lives, an independent subspecies of macaques. Representatives of this population differ not only in the shape of the eye sockets and shorter fur, but also in some behavioral features.

Tourists who come to see the hardy monkeys often refer to them as snow monkeys.. Indeed, animals have long adapted to snow (which does not melt for about 4 months a year) and cold weather, when the average temperature is kept at -5 ° C.

To save themselves from hypothermia, macaques descend into hot springs. The only disadvantage of such heating is wet wool, which seizes in the cold when leaving the source. And you have to leave the warm “bath” for a regular snack.

It is interesting! The macaques figured out a way out by leaving a couple of "waiters" on land to serve dinner to those sitting in the springs. In addition, basking monkeys are also fed by compassionate tourists.

Snow macaques occupied not only all Japanese forests from the highlands to the subtropics, but also penetrated the North American continent.

In 1972, one of the farmers brought one and a half hundred monkeys to his ranch in the United States, who a few years later found a loophole in the fence and fled. Thus, an autonomous population of Japanese macaques appeared in Texas.

In Japan, these monkeys are recognized as a national treasure and are reverently protected at the state level.

Japanese macaque food

This species of primates is completely illegible in food and does not have pronounced gastronomic preferences. Zoologists have calculated that there are about 213 plant species readily eaten by Japanese macaques.

The menu of monkeys (especially in the cold season) includes:

• shoots and bark of trees;
• leaves and rhizomes;
• nuts and fruits;
• crustaceans, fish and shellfish;
• small vertebrates and insects;
• bird eggs;
• food waste.

If there is a lot of food, the animals use their cheek pouches to stuff them with food in reserve. When lunch time comes, the monkeys settle down to rest and take out food hidden in their cheeks, which is not so easy to do. Normal muscular effort is lacking and the monkeys use their hands to squeeze supplies from the bag into their mouths.

It is interesting! Even when eating, macaques follow a strict hierarchy. The leader is the first to start eating, and only then those who are lower in rank. Not surprisingly, the poorest cuts go to monkeys of low social status.