Macaque Facts & Worksheets

The Macaque is a genus of sociable Old World monkeys in the Cercopithecine subfamily. Macaques are found in 23 species across Asia, North Africa, and Gibraltar. Macaques are primarily frugivorous, though they also eat crops, leaves, flowers, and tree bark.

See the fact file below for more information on the Macaque, or you can download our 33-page Macaque worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

SPECIFICATION

• Macaques are discovered in many habitats across Asia and are extremely adaptable. Certain species have adapted to human presence and have become invasive in some human-populated areas, including Mauritius island and Silver Springs State Park in Florida. 
• Through the transmission of transmissible and fatal diseases, macaques can endanger both wildlife conservation and human health. Currently, invasive macaque species are dealt with using various control methods.
• Apart from humans, macaques represent the most widespread primate genus, with populations that tend to range from Japan to the Indian subcontinent and, in the particular instance of the Barbarian macaque, to North Africa and Southern Europe.
• Furthermore, Macaques are strong apes with arms and legs roughly the same length. These animals’ fur is typically brown or black, and their whiskers are rounded in profile, with nasal passages on the upper portion. Each species has a different tail that may be long, moderately long, short, or completely absent.
• Though many species lack tails and have common names that relate them to apes, they are true monkeys with no more in common with genuine apes than any other Old World monkey. This stems from an earlier description of “apes” that included primates.
• Skin folds join the second across the fifth toes in some species, nearly trying to reach the first metatarsal joint. 
• The size of the monkey varies according to gender and species. Males of all species can range in length from 41 to 70 cm and weigh from 5.5 to 18 kg. Females can weigh between 2.4 and 13 kg.
• Female ranking, on the other hand, lasts longer and is determined by their genealogical position. Macaques can swim and spend the majority of their time mainly on the ground, with some time spent in trees. They have many sachets in their cheeks to store extra food. They are considered extremely intelligent and frequently used for medical experimentation.

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITATION

• Macaques seem intensely adaptable to a broad range of habitats and climates, and they can live in various landscape settings. They are easily adapted to human-made climates and can stay alive in cities if they can steal food. They could also endure in totally naturalistic environments without the presence of humans.
• The macaque has the broadest environmental and geographic range of any non-human primate. Tropical rainforests in Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka, and India, arid mountains in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and mild temperatures in mountain ranges in Japan, northern China, Morocco, and Nepal are among their habitats. Some species can also be found in Asian villages and towns.

ECOLOGY AND DIET

• Macaques are primarily vegetarians, though some have been observed eating insects. 
• In their native habitat, they have consumed various plant parts such as buds, fruit, leaves, bark, roots, and flowers.
• When macaques live among humans, they will raid farmland such as wheat, rice, or sugarcane and garden crops such as tomatoes, bananas, melons, mangos, or papayas. They rely on immediate handouts from folks in human settings. This would include peanuts, rice, legumes, and even ready-to-eat meals.
• As social animals, macaques live in formed social groups, varying from a few to several hundred. A standard social group comprises 20 to 50 individuals of various ages and sexes. The typical composition is 15% adult males, 35% adult females, 20% newborns, and 30% juveniles, though group structure and size vary across populations.
• Furthermore, the primary motor cortex of the macaques has received a lot of attention. Macaques have a complicated social hierarchy and structure. If a lower-ranking macaque has eaten all the berries and none are left for a greater macaque, they can eliminate the berries from another monkey’s mouth.
• Each species’ reproductive potential varies. If environmental conditions are favorable, rhesus macaque populations can increase at rates of 10% to 15% per year. Some forest-dwelling species, on the other hand, are endangered due to much lesser fertility rates.
• After a year, macaques move from their mother-dependent infancy to the early stages, where they develop into adults, and even from their mother-dependent infancy to the developmental stage, where they begin to interact with other juveniles through the rough waters and try to play games.
• For instance, while some Macaca species are endangered to extinction in natural forests, others that persist there become invasive in various regions of the world. The long-tailed macaque is seen as a threat and an invading alien species in Mauritius together with rhesus macaques.

INTERACTION WITH HUMANS

• Several macaque species are commonly used in animal experimentation, particularly in the neuroscientific of sensory acuity and the visual system. Furthermore, the herpes B virus is carried by nearly all (73-100%) pet and captive rhesus macaques. 
• This virus is harmless to Macacas, but human infections, while rare, can be fatal, making macaques unsuitable as pets.
• The simian foamy virus was found in urban performing macaques, implying that they may have been involved in the species-to-species jump of similar retroviruses to humans.
• Thai authorities captured a car carrying 88 macaques in 2021; the animals were allegedly on their way to Cambodia to be used for food.
• Management practices have traditionally been contentious, and public opposition can stymie control efforts. Attempts to eliminate macaque individuals were previously met with public resistance.A

SPECIES: TYPES OF MACAQUE

IN POPULAR CULTURE

• The plot of the television program Leave it to Beaver is a 1957–1963 American television sitcom about an inquisitive and often naive boy named Theodore “The Beaver” Cleaver (Jerry Mathers) and his adventures at home, school, and in his suburban neighborhood.
• In season 3, episode 29, the program includes a prominent role for a pet Macaque named Stanley.

IN MEDICAL RESEARCH

• Macaques are the most commonly used monkeys in biomedical research. Crab-eating macaques were extensively used in research findings, resulting in the polio vaccine creation, which resulted in the creation of the polio vaccine in the 1950s. 
• Furthermore, crab-eating macaques and rhesus monkeys have played important roles in cloning. In 2001, scientists used embryonic cell nuclear transmission to clone a rhesus monkey, and in 2018, the crab-eating macaque was the first primate cloned using somatic cell nuclear transfer.

Macaque Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about the Macaque across 33 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about the Macaque, a medium-sized primate native to southern and eastern Asia, typically growing up to 37 inches in length and weighing 8.8 – 22 pounds.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

• Macaque Facts 
• UNScrambled
• My Dietary
• THE 2 VIRUS
• A Mother and Child
• Levels of Conservation
• Wheel of Gender
• Macaque Puzzle
• Darwin’s Theory
• Defend the Habitat
• Today I Watched…

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a macaque?

A macaque is a type of monkey that is found in Asia and Africa.

Where do macaques live?

Macaques are native to Asia and Africa, and are found in a wide range of habitats, including forests, mountains, and urban areas.

What do macaques eat?

Macaques are omnivorous, and their diet includes a wide range of food items such as fruits, seeds, insects, and small animals.

How do macaques communicate?

Macaques use a wide range of vocalizations and body language to communicate, such as vocalizations, facial expressions, and gestures.

Are macaques endangered?

The conservation status of macaques varies depending on the species, some are considered as near threatened, and others as least concern by IUCN. However, some populations of macaques are facing threats such as habitat destruction, hunting, and human-macaque conflicts.

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