Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata)
Japanese macaques are the most northerly-living non-human primates. In the forested and mountainous, region of Japan where they're found, some populations have been known to bathe in hot springs during the freezing winters and swim during the sweltering summer heat. Japanese macaques have become famous for washing their food in saltwater before they eat it, both cleaning it and enhancing the taste. This skill has spread through the population and down the generations. For fun these macaques make snowballs, just like us.
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Life
The snow monkeys of Hell's Valley find the perfect winter resort.
Sixty degrees of separation in Japanese macaque society can mean that spa membership is key to survival. But if you weren't born with a silver spoon, there'll be no dipping for you in this exclusive hot tub club.
Featured in the following TV programmes
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Archived
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The nature documentary series examines primates.
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Grandmother monkeys care for baby
Grandmother macaques care for their abandoned grandchildren, behaviour not recorded before in non-human primates.
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Snow monkeys drift into reserve
Snow monkeys have been introduced to a Scottish wildlife park - ending its tradition of only keeping animals of the country's past and present.
About the Japanese macaque
The Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata), also known as the snow monkey, is a terrestrial Old World monkey species native to Japan, although an introduced free-ranging population has been living near Laredo, Texas since 1972. It is the most northern-living as well as the most polar-living non-human primate. In Japan, they were historically known as saru ("monkey"). Nihonzaru (Nihon "Japan" + saru) is used in modern times to distinguish from other primates. Individuals have brown-gray fur, a red face, and a short tail. There are two subspecies of this macaque:
- Macaca fuscata fuscata
- Yakushima macaque, Macaca fuscata yakui
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Scientific Classification
Family: Old World monkey (Cercopithecidae)
Genus: Macaca
Species: Japanese Macaque (fuscata)
Common Names
Snow monkey
The Japanese macaque is
Adaptation data provided by Animal Diversity Web
Where can I see them?
They can be found in the following habitats:
Conservation Status
The Japanese macaque is Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
- EX - Extinct
- EW
- CR - Threatened
- EN - Threatened
- VU - Threatened
- NT
- LC - Least concern
Population trend: Stable
Year assessed: 2008
Elsewhere on the web
- Animal Diversity Web (animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu)
- Snow monkeys in Japan (factsanddetails.com)
- Japanese macaque fact sheet (pin.primate.wisc.edu)
- Japanese macaque species profile (rainforestalliance.com)
- ARKive: Images of Life on Earth (arkive.org)
- An introduction to the Japanese macaque (blueplanetbiomes.org)
- Japanese Macaque (wikipedia.org)
Site links
BBC links
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