Rhesus Macaque
Macaca mulatta
Conservation Status
Least ConcernMammalia · Primates · Cercopithecidae
About
The rhesus macaque, colloquially rhesus monkey, is a species of Old World monkey in the Macaca genus. There are between six and nine recognised subspecies split between two groups, the Chinese-derived and the Indian-derived. Generally brown or grey in colour, it is 47–53 cm (19–21 in) in length with a 20.7–22.9 cm (8.1–9.0 in) tail and weighs 5.3–7.7 kg (12–17 lb). It is native to South, Central, and Southeast Asia and has the widest geographic range of all non-human primates, occupying a great diversity of altitudes and habitats.
Fun Fact
Rhesus macaques are the most widely used non-human primates in biomedical research, and the Rh factor in human blood (Rh positive/negative) was named after them when discovered in rhesus monkey blood in 1940.
Quick Facts
Habitat
Forests and urban areas
Diet
Omnivore
Lifespan
25-30 years
Threats
- Illegal Logging
- Wildfire