Rhesus Macaque[1]
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN) [2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Primates Family: Cercopithecidae Genus: Macaca Species: M. mulatta
Binomial name
Macaca mulatta (Zimmermann, 1780)

The Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta), often called the Rhesus Monkey, is one of the best known species of Old World monkeys. It is a typical macaque, common throughout Afghanistan to northern India and southern China. Rhesus Macaques are sexually dimorphic. Adult male Rhesus Macaques measure approximately 53 centimeters on average and weigh an average of 7.7 kilograms. Females are smaller, averaging 47 centimeters in length and 5.3 kilograms in weight. They are brown or grey in color and have pink faces which are typically bereft of fur. Their tails are of medium length and average between 20.7 and 22.9 centimeters. They typically have a lifespan of about 25 years. Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 493 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn2. ... Near Threatened (NT) is an conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa which may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future, although it does not currently qualify for the threatened status. ... The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Animalia redirects here. ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... Subclasses Allotheria* Order Multituberculata (extinct) Order Volaticotheria (extinct) Order Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Order Triconodonta (extinct) Order Docodonta (extinct) Prototheria Order Monotremata Theria Infraclass Trituberculata (extinct) Infraclass Marsupialia Infraclass Eutheria The mammals are the class of vertebrate animals characterized by the production of milk in females for the nourishment of young, from... Families 15, See classification A primate (L. prima, first) is any member of the biological order Primates, the group that contains all the species commonly related to the lemurs, monkeys, and apes, with the latter category including humans. ... Subfamilies Cercopithecinae - 11 genera Colobinae - 9 genera The Old World monkeys or Cercopithecidae are a group of primates, falling in the superfamily Cercopithecoidea in the clade Catarrhini. ... Type Species Simia inuus Linnaeus, 1758 = Simia sylvanus Linnaeus, 1758 Species See text. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Eberhard August Wilhelm von Zimmermann (August 17, 1743 - July 4, 1815) was a German geographer and zoologist. ... Subfamilies Cercopithecinae - 11 genera Colobinae - 10 genera The Old World monkeys or Cercopithecidae are a group of primates, falling in the superfamily Cercopithecoidea in the clade Catarrhini. ... Type Species Simia inuus Linnaeus, 1758 = Simia sylvanus Linnaeus, 1758 Species See text. ... Female (left) and male Common Pheasant, illustrating the dramatic difference in form between the sexes Sexual dimorphism is the systematic difference in form between individuals of different sex in the same species. ...

In science

The Rhesus Macaque is well known to science owing to its relatively easy upkeep in captivity, and has been used extensively in medical and biological research. It has given its name to the Rhesus factor, one of the elements of a person's blood group, by the discoverers of the factor, Karl Landsteiner and Alexander Wiener. The Rhesus Macaque was also used in the well-known experiments on maternal deprivation carried out in the 1950s by comparative psychologist Harry Harlow. NASA launched Rhesus Macaques into space during the 1950s and 60s, and the Soviet/Russian space program launched them into space as recently as 1997 on the Bion missions. A blood type is a description an individuals characteristics of red blood cells due to substances (carbohydrates and proteins) on the cell membrane. ... Blood type (or blood group) is determined, in part, by the ABO blood group antigens present on red blood cells. ... Karl Landsteiner Karl Landsteiner (June 14, 1868 – June 26, 1943), was an Austrian biologist and physician. ... Dr. Alexander S. Wiener (1907-1976), a lifelong resident of New York City, was recognized internationally for his contributions to science. ... Comparative psychology, taken in its most usual, broad sense, refers to the study of the behavior and mental life of animals other than human beings. ... Harry F. Harlow (October 31, 1905–1981) was an American psychologist best known for his studies on affection and development using rhesus monkeys and surrogate wire or terrycloth mothers. ... The NASA worm logo. ... The Bion space flights, also named Biocosmos, were a series of Soviet (later CIS) space flights. ...

In January of 2000, the Rhesus Macaque became the first cloned primate with the birth of Tetra. January 2001 saw the birth of ANDi, the first transgenic primate; ANDi carries foreign genes originally from a jellyfish. Cloning is the process of creating an identical copy of something. ... Families 15, See classification A primate (L. prima, first) is any member of the biological order Primates, the group that contains all the species commonly related to the lemurs, monkeys, and apes, with the latter category including humans. ... A genetically modified organism is an organism whose genetic material has been deliberately altered. ... For other meanings of this term, see gene (disambiguation). ... Orders Stauromedusae Coronatae Semaeostomeae Rhizostomae Jellyfish are marine invertebrates belonging to the Scyphozoan class. ...

Work on the genome of the Rhesus Macaque was completed in 2007,^[3] making Rhesus Macaque the second non-human primate to have its genome sequenced. The study ^[4] shows that humans and macaques share about 93% of their DNA sequence and shared a common ancestor roughly 25 million years ago. In biology the genome of an organism is the whole hereditary information of an organism that is encoded in the DNA (or, for some viruses, RNA). ... part of a DNA sequence A DNA sequence (sometimes genetic sequence) is a succession of letters representing the primary structure of a real or hypothetical DNA molecule or strand, The possible letters are A, C, G, and T, representing the four nucleotide subunits of a DNA strand (adenine, cytosine, guanine... Missing link is a term for a transitional form from the fossil record that connects an earlier species to a later one, or which connects two different species to an earlier ancestor. ...

Though most studies of the Rhesus Macaque are from various locations in northern India, some of our knowledge of the natural behaviour of the species comes from studies carried out on a colony established by the Caribbean Primate Research Center of the University of Puerto Rico on the island of Cayo Santiago, off Puerto Rico. There are no predators on the island, and humans are not permitted to land except as part of the research programmes. The colony is provisioned to some extent, but about 50% of its food comes from natural foraging. In other more controlled settings, these macaques often enjoy Fig Newtons and apricots, and are particularly keen on "pouching" large quantities of marshmallows. The University of Puerto Rico (UPR) is the university system of Puerto Rico. ... Census Bureau map Cayo Santiago, also known as Monkey Island, is an uninhabited island, located at , 950 m southeast of Punta Santiago, Humacao, Puerto Rico. ... A plastic tray of Fig Newtons The Fig Newton (in Europe, a Fig Roll) is a soft, cake-like pastry filled with fig jam. ... Binomial name Prunus armeniaca L. For other uses, see Apricot (disambiguation). ... Pink marshmallows. ...

In nature

Inhabiting arid, open areas, the Rhesus Macaque may be found in grasslands, woodlands, and in mountainous regions up to 2,500 metres in elevation. It is a good swimmer and is said to enjoy the activity. The Rhesus Macaque is noted for its tendency to move from rural to urban areas, coming to rely on handouts or refuse from humans. It has become a pest in some areas, perceived as a possible risk to public health and safety.

A diurnal animal, the Rhesus Macaque is both arboreal and terrestrial; it is mostly herbivorous and feeds on leaves and pine needles, roots, and the occasional insect or small animal. The monkey has specialized pouch-like cheeks, allowing it to temporarily hoard its food. The gathered morsels are eaten sometime later, in safe surroundings. A diurnal animal (dī-ŭrnəl) is an animal that is active during the daytime and sleeps during the night. ... This article is about the biological organisms known as trees. ... Subgenera Subgenus Strobus Subgenus Ducampopinus Subgenus Pinus See Pinus classification for complete taxonomy to species level. ... Orders See taxonomy Insects (Class Insecta) are a major group of arthropods and the most diverse group of animals on the Earth, with over a million described species—more than all other animal groups combined. ...

According to Melnick, Hoelzer, Absher, and Ashley, "The rhesus monkey has the widest geographic range of any nonhuman primate," occupying a great diversity of altitudes thoughout Central, South, and Southeast Asia.

Behaviour and reproduction

Like other macaques, the Rhesus troop comprises a mixture of males and females. The troop may contain up to 180 individuals, but 20 is the average. Females may outnumber the males by a ratio of 4:1. The social hierarchy is also matriarchal, rank dependent on lineage to the lead female. Care of young and territory surveillance duties are shared amongst the troop. While females are more or less placid, males are typically rowdy between themselves. The Rhesus Macaque is characterised as a vociferous monkey. Monkeys that discover food will normally advertise the fact by specific calls, though it has been claimed that young or subordinate monkeys will sometimes seek to avoid doing so if their discovery has gone unobserved. Females cycle similar to humans with menstrual cycles of around 28 days.

Mating is not confined to a specific season. Gestation may last from 135-194 days. Females are mature by three years of age, and males at four. The typical lifespan of a rhesus monkey in captivity is approximately 15-20 years for males and 20-25 years for females. These monkeys rarely live beyond 15 years of age in the wild. Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. ...

Classification

There are several subspecies of Rhesus Macaque:^[1] In zoology, as in other branches of biology, subspecies is the rank immediately subordinate to a species. ...

• Macaca mulatta mulatta
• Macaca mulatta villosa
• Macaca mulatta vestita
• Macaca mulatta lasiota
• Macaca mulatta sanctijohannis
• Macaca mulatta brevicauda

Distribution

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

References

Dr Colin Groves is a Professor of Biological Anthropology at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia. ... November 16 is the 320th day of the year (321st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 45 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... May 9 is the 129th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (130th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... April 13 is the 103rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (104th in leap years). ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... April 13 is the 103rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (104th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... A news release, press release or press statement is a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something claimed as having news value. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... April 15 is the 105th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (106th in leap years). ...

External links

Wikispecies has information related to:

Rhesus Macaque

• ARKive - images and movies of the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta)
• Brain Maps and Brain Atlases of Rhesus Macaque
• Primate Info Net Macaca mulatta Factsheet
• Macaca mulatta Genome