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Sulawesi
crested macaque
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Macaca
nigra
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Sulawesi,
Indonesia
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Measurements
Total
Length: 560mm
Weight: 7-10kg
Lifespan: 20 years.
Diet
They eat mainly fruits and other vegetation like buds, flowers but also insects, including caterpillars and eggs. They forage mainly in trees but do spend a lot of time on the ground.Identification
Sometimes called apes because they have virtually no tail, these macaques have long and narrow faces, with an elongated snout, prominent brow and high bony cheek ridges. The whole is rakishly topped with a crest of punkish hair in both genders.Behaviour
Group sizes vary from 5 to 25 but can reach can reach over 100 when troops merge. Females form the stable core of the group, with males moving from their birth group thus avoiding inbreeding. Males are ranked through competition although sons (and daughters) of high ranking females tend to take on higher rank. Members are aware of who is related to whom. Rank can change with age or as individuals join or leave the troop.
Distribution & Habitat
Only in Indonesia, on the north-eastern corner of Sulawesi and on Bacan Island. They inhabit the lowland primary and secondary tropical forests, as well as scrubland.Reproduction
In the wild, they are seasonal breeders, depending on food supply. When the female is in heat, the females buttocks swell and turn bright pink to red (left). Infants are born with their eyes closed, which open in about 2 hours. The infant clings to the mother’s belly and nurses for a year. Males take interest in infants; females continue to have interest in offspring throughout its life. One young born. Gestation 5.5 months, females mature at 3-5 years, males at 4-5 years.Conservation
IUCN: Endangered. There are about 140,000 left in the wild. The habitat of the macaques on Sulawesi is constantly shrinking because of human activity: cultivation, logging, and hunting. They are hunted with snares and are also traded on the islands of Indonesia. Sometimes these macaques are trapped and taken as pets by local islanders.