Macaque

see text The macaques form the genus Macaca of Old World monkeys.

Aside from humans (genus Homo), the macaques are the most widespread primate genus, ranging from northern Africa to Japan. Nineteen macaque species are currently recognised, and they include some of the monkeys best known to non-zoologists, such as the Rhesus Macaque (as the Rhesus Monkey), Macaca mulatta, and the Barbary Macaque (as the Barbary Ape), M. sylvanus, a colony of which lives on the Rock of Gibraltar. Although several species lack tails, and their common names therefore refer to them as apes, these are true monkeys, with no relationship to the great apes in family Hominidae or the lesser apes in family Hylobatidae.

Several species of macaque have been used extensively in medical research.

In the late 1990s it was discovered that nearly all (c. 90%) of pet or captive macaques are carriers of the herpes-B virus. This virus is harmless to macaques, however infections of humans, while rare, are potentially fatal.

Species list

Genus Macaca

• M. sylvanus group
  • Barbary Macaque, Macaca sylvanus
• M. nemestrina group
  • Lion-tailed Macaque, Macaca silenus
  • Sunda Pig-tailed Macaque or Beruk, Macaca nemestrina
  • Northern Pig-tailed Macaque , Macaca leonina
  • Mentawai Macaque or Bokkoi, Macaca pagensis
    • Macaca pagensis pagensis
    • Macaca pagensis siberu
• Sulawesi group
  • Moor Macaque, Macaca maura
  • Booted Macaque , Macaca ochreata
    • Macaca ochreata ochreata
    • Macaca ochreata brunnescens
  • Tonkean Macaque , Macaca tonkeana
  • Heck's Macaque , Macaca hecki
  • Gorontalo Macaque , Macaca nigriscens
  • Celebes Crested Macaque or Black "Ape", Macaca nigra
• M. fascicularis group
  • Crab-eating Macaque or Long-tailed Macaque or Kera, Macaca fascicularis
  • Stump-tailed Macaque or Bear Macaque, Macaca arctoides
• M. mulatta group
  • Rhesus Macaque, Macaca mulatta
  • Japanese Macaque, Macaca fuscata
• M. sinica group
  • Toque Macaque , Macaca sinica
    • Macaca sinica sinica
    • Macaca sinica aurifrons
  • Bonnet Macaque , Macaca radiata
    • Macaca radiata radiata
    • Macaca radiata diluta
  • Assam Macaque , Macaca assamensis
    • Macaca assamensis assamensis
    • Macaca assamensis pelops
  • Tibetan Macaque, Macaca thibetana
  • Arunachal Macaque or Munzala, Macaca munzala

See also

• Natasha

External links

• CDC papers on Herpes B in macaques
• New macaque species