Mammals · Primates · Cercopithecidae

Japanese Macaque

Macaca fuscata

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

It is the northernmost naturally occurring non-human primate on the planet, popularly known as the snow monkey for its habit of bathing in hot springs through the freezing Japanese winter. It lives in stable matrilineal societies.

Weight

540 g – 11 kg

Size

47 cm – 60 cm

Lifespan

6 years

Diet

Omnivore

Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Family group

Lives in small family groups with close bonds.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Temperate forestMountainOmnivore Diurnal Family group Temperate forest Mountain Mammal

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Fun facts

It is the northernmost naturally occurring non-human primate on the planet.
It bathes in hot springs through the winter, which earned it the nickname of snow monkey.
It lives in matrilineal societies in which females stay in the group they were born into for life.
comportamientoSome populations deliberately bathe in hot springs through the winter, a learned behaviour passed culturally from one generation to the next.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Subtropical and subalpine deciduous and evergreen forest of Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, Japan
Birth weight: 539.7 - 548.8 grams
Size at birth: Well developed at birth, able to cling to its mother's fur at once
Sexual maturity: Female: 3.5-5 years | Male: 4.5-6 years
Gestation / incubation: ~172 days (a range of 157-188.5 days)
Litter / clutch size: 1 young (twins rare, 1 birth in 488)
Lifespan in captivity: Documented record of up to 38.5 years in captivity