Rhesus macaque

Rhesus macaque
Male, Gokarna Forest, Nepal
Female with infant in Galtaji, Jaipur
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Family: Cercopithecidae
Genus: Macaca
Species:
M. mulatta
Binomial name
Macaca mulatta
Rhesus macaque native range
Synonyms[3]
Species synonymy
  • Simia fulvus (Kerr, 1792)
  • Simia rhesus Audebert, 1798
  • Simia erythraea Shaw, 1800
  • Macaca nipalensis Hodgson, 1840
  • Macaca oinops Hodgson, 1840
  • Inuus sanctijohannis R. Swinhoe, 1866
  • Inuus sancti-johannis R. Swinhoe, 1866
  • Macacus lasiotus Gray, 1868
  • Macacus tcheliensis A. Milne-Edwards, 1872
  • Macacus vestitus A. Milne-Edwards, 1892
  • Macacus rhesus villosus True, 1894
  • Pithecus littoralis Elliot, 1909
  • Macaca siamica Kloss, 1917
  • Macaca mulatta mcmahoni Pocock, 1932
3d model of skeleton

The rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta), colloquially rhesus monkey, is a species of Old World monkey. There are between six and nine recognised subspecies split between two groups, the Chinese-derived and the Indian-derived. Generally brown or grey in colour, it is 47–53 cm (19–21 in) in length with a 20.7–22.9 cm (8.1–9.0 in) tail and weighs 5.3–7.7 kg (12–17 lb). It is native to South, Central, and Southeast Asia and has the widest geographic range of all non-human primates, occupying a great diversity of altitudes and habitats.

The rhesus macaque is diurnal, arboreal, and terrestrial. It is mostly herbivorous, feeding mainly on fruit, but also eating seeds, roots, buds, bark, and cereals. Rhesus macaques living in cities also eat human food and trash. They are gregarious, with troops comprising 20–200 individuals. The social groups are matrilineal. Individuals communicate with a variety of facial expressions, vocalisations, body postures, and gestures.

Due to rhesus macaque's relatively easy upkeep, wide availability, and closeness to humans anatomically and physiologically, it has been used extensively in medical and biological research. It has facilitated many scientific breakthroughs including vaccines for rabies, smallpox, polio and antiretroviral medication to treat HIV/AIDS. A rhesus macaque became the first primate astronaut in 1948.

The rhesus is listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List.

  1. ^ Singh, M.; Kumar, A.; Kumara, H.N. (2020). "Macaca mulatta". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T12554A17950825. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T12554A17950825.en. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  2. ^ Groves, C. P. (2005). "Species Macaca mulatta". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 163. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. OCLC 62265494.
  3. ^ "Macaca mulatta". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.