Macaque Monkeys of China

"Japanese Macaque Primate"

The Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata), is a terrestrial Old World monkey species native to Japan.   It is also sometimes known as the snow monkey because it lives in areas where snow covers the ground for months each year — no primate, with the exception of humans, is more northern-living, nor lives in a colder climate.  Individuals have brown-grey fur, red faces, and short tails. The macaque has a pinkish face and posterior.  The rest of its body is covered in brown, greyish, or yellowish hair.  The coat of the macaque is well-adapted to the cold and its thickness increases as temperatures decrease.  The macaque can cope with temperatures as low as -4F.

Macaques mostly move on all fours.  They are semi-terrestrial, with females spending more time in the trees and males spending more time on the ground.  Macaques are known to leap.  They are also great swimmers and have been reported to swim over half a kilometer.   The longevity for the macaque averages 6.3 years, (at least for females).   However, they have been known to live much longer; males have lived up to 28 years and females up to 32 years.