Barbary Macaques 

News: According to a new study, Barbary macaques in Europe eat soil to help their digestive system cope with low-fibre junk foods such as crisps, chocolate, bread, and ice cream.

About Barbary Macaques

• Barbary macaques are one of 25 species of macaque found around the world.
• Scientific name: Its scientific name is Macaca sylvanus.
• Family: They belong to the Cercopithecidae family
• They are known as “old world monkeys”. 
• They are the only macaque species living outside Asia and the only non-human primate in North Africa and Europe.
• Habitat: They usually live in high mountains, rocky cliffs, and gorges. 
  • They prefer cedar forests but can also be found in mixed forests, oak forests, coastal rocky areas, and lowland grasslands.
• Distribution: They are native to Africa, Asia and Europe.
  • The natural range of these primates covers the Atlas Mountains of Algeria and Morocco in North Africa. 
  • They have also been introduced from Morocco to Gibraltar, where these animals currently occur in a small population. 
• Characteristics:
  • Appearance: They have thick, brown-yellow fur covering much of their body; their underside is a lighter shade.
    • Their dark powder-pink face and narrow nose are fur-free. 
    • They have powerful jaws with long canine teeth and cheek pouches that are used to store food. 
    • Their front limbs are longer than their hind limbs.
    • They lack a tail, and that’s why they are sometimes called Barbary apes.
  • Height and weight: They have a height of 45–70 cm and weigh between 10–16 kg.
  • Diet: They are omnivorous.
    • They consume leaves, roots, and fruit.
    • They also feed on occasional insects, caterpillars, frogs, and tadpoles.
  • Behaviour: They are generally active during the daytime hours.
  • They are highly social animals, gathering in groups of up to 59 individuals. 
  • They are alloparental animal.
    • This means that the adult males and females look after all the offspring in the group, not just their own.
  • Both males and females have their separate hierarchies.
    • Females form strictly matrilineal hierarchies, in which each individual is ranked. 
• Threats: The main threat to them is habitat loss due to:
  • Hunting
  • Wildfires
  • Logging
  • Human expansion
  • and Poaching of infants and juveniles for the pet trade
• Conservation status: 
  • CITES: Appendix I
  • IUCN Red List: Endangered