Where they live?
The Japanese macaque ( Macaca fuscata ), also known as the snow monkey, is the only monkey native to Japan. It is widely distributed in Japanese forests, highlands and mountains. As a curiosity, they are the primates that live further north on the planet, apart from humans.
A body adapted to the climate
Those macaques that live in the colder regions, located to the north of the island, have a larger body than their southern relatives. Their body is completely covered with a grayish-brown fur that helps them withstand temperatures down to -20 ° C. Their face, palms, and butt are hairless, and they are red in color due to the high concentration of blood vessels, which also helps them maintain their body heat.
Wonderful minds
This species is considered one of the most intelligent monkeys on the planet. In fact, it could be said that they have culture, since hunting and feeding techniques are transmitted between members of the group and from generation to generation. In addition, it has been discovered that these monkeys emit different types of sounds to communicate and that these vary according to the region in which they live. Could it be said that they have different dialects?
What do they eat?
These gluttons eat practically everything. Their diet is omnivorous, that is, they eat both meat and vegetables. This is based on twigs, barks, fruits, eggs, insects, fish, small mammals and even earth. In the 1980s, primatologist Toshisada Nishida observed how a female washed a sweet potato in seawater to remove the sand and add a salty touch to her plate, a behavior that she also passed on to her offspring.
Your social life
They live in highly hierarchical groups of between 20 and 30 individuals, led by an alpha male. This leader is in charge of guiding and protecting the herd from other groups of macaques. In addition, the affective bonds between group members are so important that they use their free time to deworm each other to reinforce bonds. During the cold winter, the herd huddles together and everyone hugs each other so as not to lose heat. So literally, their lives are going to keep their friends close!
Taking care of your children
At birth, after six long months of gestation, the little ones are extremely dependent on their mothers and during their first two years they do not disengage from them. Daughters inherit their mother’s rank, that is, adults of lower rank than their mothers will also be their subordinates, the youngest daughter being the most dominant of all. For the children the future is more uncertain, since they must leave the group when they reach sexual maturity.
In the face of boredom, hobbies!
One of his favorite activities is making snowballs and rolling them down the mountain to increase their size; something that even adults practice. They have also been observed hitting rocks against each other to distract themselves.
The miracle of thermal water
It is not until the 1950s that the Japanese macaques of the Jōshin’etsu-kōgen National Park discover the hot spring pools that will make them famous all over the world. Seeing their human countrymen rejoicing in the hot baths, they decided to invade the pools. Years later, for hygiene reasons, exclusive pools were built for monkeys, where they are highly respected and fed by park staff, as they provide many benefits for the region’s tourism sector.
Friends or enemies?
There are currently an estimated 50,000 individuals of this species left in the wild. A number that is decreasing drastically, because some farmers and ranchers see them as a plague and kill them when they see them approach their animals and crops. It is estimated that the species causes losses of 15.4 million dollars a year in the primary sector.
References:
Gron KJ. 2007 April 26. Primate Factsheets: Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata) Behavior.
DPIPWE (2011) Pest Risk Assessment: Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata). Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment. Hobart, Tasmania.
