One of the 18 monkeys on WAnimals
Mammals · Primates · Cercopithecidae
Barbary Macaque
Macaca sylvanus
It faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. See full glossary
It is the only primate other than humans living wild in Europe, thanks to a population introduced centuries ago on the Rock of Gibraltar. It has no tail, unique among the macaques.
Weight
10 kg – 15 kg
Size
55 cm – 70 cm
Lifespan
22 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
Hard
Fun facts
- It is the only non-human primate living wild in Europe, on the Rock of Gibraltar.
- It has no tail, unique among the macaques.
- Every male in the group helps care for the infants, since promiscuity makes paternity hard to establish.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
- Habitat & environment
- Cedar and oak forest, scrub and rocky slopes of the Atlas Mountains, with an introduced population in Gibraltar
- Birth weight
- Exact weight at birth not found as a precise figure
- Size at birth
- Well developed, able to cling to its mother's fur from birth
- Sexual maturity
- Female: 2.5-4 years | Male: 4.5-7 years
- Gestation / incubation
- 158-170 days (~5.5-6 months)
- Litter / clutch size
- 1 young (twins rare)
- Lifespan in captivity
- Documented record of up to 30-31 years in captivity
Sources consulted: New England Primate Conservancy; University of Lincoln; AnAge; Zoo Barcelona; Animalia.bio; The Animal Facts; AnimalHub; PMC
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapBest time: All year round in the cedar and holm oak woods of the Moroccan and Algerian Atlas, by day; on Gibraltar the introduced population is watched without difficulty.
Where to watch it
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Barbary Macaque — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Northern Bald Ibis
Geronticus eremita
Mistle Thrush
Turdus viscivorus
Lion-tailed Macaque
Macaca silenus
Southern Pig-tailed Macaque
Macaca nemestrina
Udzungwa Red Colobus
Piliocolobus gordonorum
Golden Snub-nosed Monkey
Rhinopithecus roxellana
How to help
The barbary macaque is classified as endangered. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 6 real protected areas — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about barbary macaque.
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