What are the living habits of macaques? A comprehensive guide to understanding macaques
Macaques inhabit tropical, subtropical and warm-temperate broad-leaved forests, from low hills to high altitudes of 3000-4000 m, in all kinds of secluded environments with food available; they are one of the extant primates with the lowest requirements for habitat conditions. They like to live in the forest and scrub belts of rocky hills, especially those vast stretches of craggy rocks and sheer cliffs interwoven with streams, ravines and climbing vines and green trees, which are often the most ideal living places for monkeys.
The habits of macaques
Macaques often live in groups of dozens or over a hundred, led by a monkey king, dwelling together in the forest; they often love to climb vines and trees, like to seek out cliffs and rock caves, and their range of activity is very large. When the troop moves as a group, a “sentry” will stand at a high point on watch, and if it detects anything unusual, it will send out a signal, calling the troop to move away quickly. If the situation is urgent, macaques rely on their skilled ability to scale cliffs and cross dangerous terrain and will soon vanish without a trace. The size of the troop varies with the quality of the habitat environment, generally numbering ten-odd or several dozen individuals. In the breeding season and in seasons of food shortage, the troops tend to be larger, so their range of activity is also larger. They are good at climbing and leaping, can swim and imitate human actions, and show expressions of joy, anger, sorrow and happiness. When in a restless mood, they like to pick up stones and throw them at people.
The reproduction of macaques
Macaques generally come into estrus from November to December and give birth from March to June of the following year, or produce 2 litters every 3 years, with one infant per litter; the gestation period averages about 5 months, and the lactation period is about 4 months. Female monkeys reach sexual maturity at 2.5-3 years, and male monkeys at 4-5 years, but they first take part in mating at 6-7 years; under captive conditions they can live as long as 25-30 years.
The diet of macaques
Macaques feed on leaves, tender twigs, wild vegetables and so on, and also eat small birds, bird eggs, various insects, and even earthworms and ants. When feeding on wild fruit they are greedy and competitive, picking and dropping as they go, eating only sweet ripe fruit and discarding unripe fruit, so wherever a troop has passed there are often broken branches and discarded fruit all over the ground; thus their utilization of wild fruit is relatively low, and they inevitably have to expand their foraging range, and their activity time also tends to be longer.
The contest for kingship among macaques
1. In real life, every troop of monkeys has a monkey king. The monkey king is “elected” from among many outstanding male monkeys. Therefore, the monkey king's tail is often held up very high to display its noble status, while other monkeys dare not casually raise their tails. Just like the US presidential election, the monkey king also has a “change of term” every 4 years, and can also serve consecutive terms.
2. The monkey's throne is won through fierce struggle and fighting among the strong. When each monkey king's term is about to end, those male monkeys who think they have competitive strength become eager to try, raising their tails in front of the monkey king to challenge it, and then grappling with the monkey king; if they defeat the monkey king, they then compete with the other challengers, and after a life-and-death battle, the final winner becomes the new monkey king. Those monkeys that are defeated come away covered in blood, with broken limbs and lame legs. The monkey king that is driven from power is often expelled from the troop and becomes a lone monkey wandering everywhere, which shows the cruelty of the competition for kingship.
3. The reason the monkeys fight desperately for the throne is that the monkey king enjoys privileges within the troop. During its reign the monkey king is very imposing, and all the monkeys must obey the monkey king without resistance; when there is something good to eat, the monkey king must always be allowed to eat first. The monkey king not only eats more and takes more, but also enjoys the privilege of “polygamy”; most adult female monkeys are its “consorts”, so the monkey king always has “three palaces and six courtyards, a multitude of wives and concubines”.