Macaca fascicularis

Long-tailed macaque, or Crab-eating macaque(Macaca fascicularis)

Phylumchordata
Class — mammalia
Order — primates
Family — cercopithecidae

Genus – macaca

Appearance

The body length of the adult, which varies among subspecies, is 38–55 cm (15–22 in) with relatively short arms and legs. Males are considerably larger than females, weighing 5–9 kg (11–20 lb) compared to the 3–6 kg (6.6–13.2 lb) of females. The tail is longer than the body, typically 40–65 cm (16–26 in), which is used for balance when they jump distances up to 5 m (16 ft).

The upper parts of the body are dark brown with light golden brown tips. The under parts are light grey with a dark grey/brown tail. Crab-eating macaques have backwards-directed crown hairs which sometimes form short crests on the midline. Their skin is black on their feet and ears, whereas the skin on the muzzle is a light grayish pink color. The eyelids often have prominent white markings and sometimes there are white spots on the ears. Males have a characteristic mustache and cheek whiskers, while females have only cheek whiskers. Crab-eating macaques have a cheek pouch which they use to store food while foraging. Females show no perineal swelling.

Habitat

The Long-tailed macaques are found throughout south-eastern Asia. Their range extends from the southeastern tip of Bangladesh southwards to Malaysia and the Maritime Southeast Asia islands (including Sumatra, Java and Borneo), offshore islands, the Philippines as well as the Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal.

Behavior

These primates are diurnal and highly social creatures, forming groups of 1 or more males as well as 3 - 20 females with their young. As a general rule, the majority of mature individuals of a group are females. Males usually disperse upon reaching maturity to form new groups or join bachelor herds. Males live in a well-defined linear hierarchy system, where individuals are ranked depending on age, size, and fighting skills. Young females, on the other hand, remain with their natal group, forming the core of the group. Related females typically live in close relationships. Overall, females of this species commonly practice mutual grooming, where lower-ranking individuals groom higher-ranking ones, due to which the former avoid intimidation, get support during conflicts as well as access to limited resources of the group.

Reproduction

Long-tailed macaques exhibit polygynous (one male mates with multiple females) and polygynandrous (promiscuous) (multiple males mate indiscriminately with multiple females) mating systems. Most births occur in May-July, during the rainy season. Gestation period lasts for 162 days, after which high ranking females usually give birth to a single infant at an interval of 390 days, while others produce offspring every 2 years. The newborn baby is nursed until 420 days old. The age of reproductive maturity is 6 years old in males and 4 years old in females.

Their life span is approximately 29 years.

In captivity

Long-tailed macaques are unpretentious, they easily acclimatize with human help to the equatorial climate. For example, the southern regions of Russia are perfect for keeping animals in garden enclosures equipped with insulated sheds. With a caring attitude, the monkey quickly gets used to the owner, is easily trained, becomes tame and often demonstrates tenderness and affection. A long-tailed macaque is very attached to the owner, it is a very constant and loyal pet.

As for hygiene and care, in order to teach a macaque, for example, to wear a diaper, you will have to spend a lot of time. But the result is worth it! Demonstration of new pet skills will bring a lot of pleasant moments not only to its owner, but also to its friends. The owner should keep Long-tailed macaquesin cages with thick bars and additionally reinforced decorative elements inside the cage.

A Long-tailed macaqueat home-a very sociable animal, representatives of the species love communication and games. Therefore, if you leave your pet alone for a long time without exciting activities, a Long-tailed macaquewill be bored, sad and quickly fade away. To prevent this you can put small non-dangerous toys, wooden sticks, branches, sprouted grains of barley, corn, wheat or oats, herbs in pieces of hay that cover the floor of the cage.

Also it`s important to communicate with your pet more often, to take it in hands and allow it to touch the hair of the owner. If you do all things, it will be more trusting and going to contact. And, therefore, it is easier to give in to training, training in this case will be its joy.

In the wild, Crab-eating monkeys lead a gregarious lifestyle, so you should not leave the animal alone. When the monkey is not in the cage, it is recommended to wear a diaper on it, do not forget to pre-anoint the ass under the diaper cream. In addition, you should protect the monkey from drafts. These animals are very sensitive to them.

It is better to train your pet to wear clothes since childhood, then when they reach adulthood, they will perceive it as a  necessity. It is very important to remember that living in the wild, wild animals obey a certain hierarchy, as do Long-tailed macaque. Pets continue to follow their habits living with a person. They strictly follow the hierarchy, so it is strongly recommended not to try to "raise" the pet's intelligence to a human one, it is much more useful to communicate with it, "descending" to its level.

 

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