3226-Salem Monkey 32cm.H

Barbary Macaque

Description The Barbary Macaque is one of the most popular Old World monkey species and has a yellowish-brown to grey color with a lighter underside. It is the only species of Macaque that can be found outside Asia and is unique for its vestigial tail. They normally live in the forests of the Atlas Mountains of Algeria, Morocco, and a number of places in Northern Libya. In addition, they were also introduced to Gibraltar. Female Barbary Macaques have a body size of 556.8 mm and weight of around 9.9 kg, while the males are 634.3 mm in length and have a weight of 14.5 kg. Compared to the females, the males are larger and their tail is more prominent. Barbary Macaques’ diet mainly consists of insects and fruits. However, because these animals live close to humans in specific locations, these monkeys sometimes steal food from tourists. The mating season starts at November and ends in March. These monkeys normally form groups of several males and females. Barbary Macaque troops may be composed of 10 to 100 monkeys. Unlike other types of macaques, the male ones spend a significant amount of time grooming and playing with the young ones, thereby forming a social bond among them.

Status The population of Barbary Macaques has plunged in recent years. The International Union for Conservation of Nature listed these animals as endangered in 2009. They are threatened by the destruction of their habitat and farmers who are implementing measures to get rid of them because they are regarded as pests. Furthermore, they are also at risk because of poaching for the illegal pet trade.