🐒 Stump-tailed Macaque (Macaca arctoides) – In-Depth Overview
🧬 Taxonomy & Classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Primates
- Family: Cercopithecidae (Old World monkeys)
- Genus: Macaca
- Species: Macaca arctoides
- Common Names:
- Stump-tailed macaque
- Bear macaque (due to its shaggy appearance)
- Authority: I. Geoffroy, 1831
🧍♂️ Physical Characteristics
- Size:
- Males: 51–64 cm; weight: 9–15 kg
- Females: 48–58 cm; weight: 7–10 kg
- Tail: Very short (3–6 cm), hence the name “stump-tailed”
- Coloration:
- Coarse, shaggy fur: dark brown to black.
- Bare facial skin: pink to red, often darkens with age or social rank.
- Facial Features:
- Bald face with prominent brow ridges.
- Expression often appears “wrinkled” or aged.
- Infants: Born with a lighter, pinkish face and darker fur.
🌍 Distribution & Habitat
📍 Geographic Range
- Native to: South and Southeast Asia
- Countries: India (northeast), Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, southern China, and parts of Malaysia.
🏞️ Habitat
- Preferred: Tropical and subtropical forests — evergreen, semi-evergreen, and moist deciduous forests.
- Altitude: Sea level up to 2,000+ meters.
- Habitat use: Semi-terrestrial — spends time both on the ground and in trees.
🐾 Behavior & Social Structure
👪 Social Organization
- Group size: Typically 15–60 individuals.
- Structure: Multi-male, multi-female; matrilineal hierarchy.
- Dominance: Strong female kin-based dominance hierarchy; males often transient.
- Social bonds: Grooming and close proximity are key social tools.
🧠 Intelligence & Communication
- Highly intelligent and capable of learning social rules.
- Vocalizations, facial expressions, body postures, and grooming used for communication.
💤 Activity Pattern
- Diurnal: Active during the day.
- Foraging: Ground foraging for fruits, seeds, roots, small animals.
🥦 Diet & Feeding Ecology
- Diet Type: Omnivorous
- Primary Diet:
- Fruits, seeds, leaves, roots, tubers.
- Supplemental Diet:
- Insects, small vertebrates, bird eggs, fungi.
- Adaptability:
- Opportunistic feeders; can exploit crops or garbage near human settlements.
🐣 Reproduction & Life History
- Breeding: Year-round, with peaks depending on region.
- Gestation: ~170 days (about 5.5 months)
- Litter size: Typically one infant.
- Birth interval: ~2 years.
- Infant Care: Long dependency; carried by mother for several months.
- Sexual Maturity:
- Females: ~4 years.
- Males: ~5–7 years.
🔬 Unique Biological Traits
- Menstruation: One of the few non-human primates with overt menstrual bleeding.
- Visual System: Color vision (trichromatic); aids in fruit detection.
- Thermoregulation: Adapted to both warm lowland forests and cooler highland areas.
🧭 Ecological Role
- Seed Disperser: Plays a crucial role in dispersing seeds through frugivory.
- Trophic Level: Mid-level consumer.
- Prey: Occasionally targeted by large predators such as leopards and pythons.
🏥 Threats & Conservation
📉 Conservation Status
- IUCN Red List: Vulnerable (VU)
- Populations are declining due to habitat destruction and hunting.
❗ Major Threats
- Habitat Loss: Logging, agriculture, and infrastructure development.
- Hunting & Poaching: For bushmeat, traditional medicine, or pet trade.
- Human-Wildlife Conflict: Crop raiding and proximity to settlements lead to persecution.
- Disease: Susceptible to zoonotic diseases due to genetic similarity with humans.
🛡️ Protection Measures
- Listed in CITES Appendix II.
- Protected in various national parks and reserves across its range.
- Conservation efforts include:
- Habitat protection and restoration.
- Anti-poaching initiatives.
- Community education and conflict mitigation.
📚 Research & Captive Studies
- Widely studied in captivity for research on:
- Social learning and behavior
- Reproductive biology
- Neurology and immunology (e.g., models for human diseases)
- Ethical concerns have led to stricter regulations in primate research.
🔎 Distinguishing From Similar Macaques
Species | Key Differences |
---|---|
Rhesus Macaque (M. mulatta) | Lighter, more uniform coat; longer tail. |
Assam Macaque (M. assamensis) | Less facial redness; longer tail. |
Pig-tailed Macaque (M. nemestrina) | More arboreal; shorter muzzle. |
📖 References & Further Reading
- IUCN Red List: Macaca arctoides
- Fooden, J. (1971). Systematic Review of the Stump-Tailed Macaque.
- Mittermeier, R.A., et al. (2013). Handbook of the Mammals of the World, Volume 3: Primates.
- Rowe, N. (1996). The Pictorial Guide to the Living Primates.
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