Virtual Non-Human Primate Zoo

SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION:

  Order: Primates

    Suborder: Haplorrhini

      Infraorder: Simiiformes

        Parvorder: Catarrhini

          Superfamily: Cercopithecoidea

            Family: Cercopithecidae

              Subfamily: Cercopithecinae

                Genus: Macaca

                  Species: fascicularis

 

COMMON NAME:  Crab-Eating Macaque

 

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION:  Southeast Asia

 

HABITAT:

  • Primary forest

  • Disturbed forest

  • Secondary forest

  • Coastal Forest

  • Riverine

  • Nipa Palm

  • Mangrove

 

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:

  • backwards directed crown hairs

  • black skin on feet and ears

  • muzzle skin is a light grayish pink color

  • females have only cheek whiskers

  • eyelids have white markings

  • ears have white spots

  • have a cheek pouch used to store food while foraging

  • males have a mustache and cheek whiskers

 

DIET:  Omnivore

• fruits

• crabs

• flowers

• insects

• leaves

• fungi

• grasses

• clay

 

LOCOMOTION TYPE:  Arboreal Quadrupeds

 

SOCIAL GROUP ORGANIZATION:  

Highly sociable animals which live in multi-male/multi-female groups containing between 5 and 60 individuals

 

PARENTAL CARE:  Mother is primary caregiver

 

COMMUNICATION:

•   Visual:        facial expression, body postures

•   Auditory:     vocalizations

•   Physical:    grooming, play, mating, aggression

•   Chemical:  olfactory

 

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES:  

Despite its name, the crab-eating macaque does not only eat crabs.  In fact, at least 50% of the crab-eating macaque's diet is made up from fruits, nuts, and seeds.

 

ENDANGERMENT STATUS:  Least Concern

 

To learn more about Macaca fasicularis, visit the following websites:

1. http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/long-tailed_macaque

2. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Macaca_fascicularis

3. http://a-z-animals.com/animals/crab-eating-macaque

4. http://www.uniprot.org/taxonomy/9541

 

Information and photographs compiled by A. Reta and A. Veliz.