
Photo: Bryan Ledgard · CC BY 2.0
Macaca fuscata
Rare visitor: recorded only occasionally in this country
Diet
Fruit, leaves, seeds, bark and invertebrates
Habitat
Temperate and subtropical forest
Range
Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and smaller islands
Size
Body 47–60cm; tail 7–12cm
Weight
Females about 8.4kg; males about 11.3kg
The Japanese macaque is a sturdy, short-tailed monkey with brown-grey fur, a pink bare face and a red rump. Adults measure roughly 47–60cm excluding the 7–12cm tail; males average about 11.3kg and females about 8.4kg. The species occurs farther north than any other non-human primate and survives cold, snowy winters as well as warmer southern conditions (Fooden and Aimi 2005, as reported on Wikipedia).
Across its range, Japanese macaques live in multi-male, multi-female troops with stable female lineages and seasonal mating. Their flexible diet includes fruit, seeds, leaves, bark and invertebrates. The famous Jigokudani animals enter hot springs in winter, but bathing is a learned tradition of that population, not universal behaviour. Troops also pass socially learned food-washing and handling techniques between generations (Wikipedia, general species account).