Stump-tailed Macaque (Macaca arctoides)


🐒 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.
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🐾 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.
See also  Eurasian pygmy owl (Glaucidium passerinum)

🔬 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.
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🛡️ 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

SpeciesKey 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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