Formosan rock monkey, Taiwanese macaque
The Formosan rock macaque (Macaca cyclopis ), also known as the Formosan rock monkey or Taiwanese macaque, is a macaque endemic to the island of Taiwan, which has also been introduced to Japan. Besides humans, Formosan rock macaques are the only native primates living in Taiwan. The species was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1862.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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OmnivoreAn omnivore is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and ani...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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ZoochoryZoochory animals are those that can disperse plant seeds in several ways. Seeds can be transported on the outside of vertebrate animals (mostly mam...
Among animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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Dominance hierarchyA dominance hierarchy (formerly and colloquially called a pecking order) is a type of social hierarchy that arises when members of animal social gr...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withBesides humans, Formosan rock macaques are the only native primates living in Taiwan. These macaques are brown or gray in color and have moderately long tails. Like all other macaques, they have specialized pouch-like cheeks, allowing them to gather the food and eat it sometime later, in safe surroundings.
Formosan rock macaques are native to the island of Taiwan, east Asia. They live in mixed coniferous-hardwood temperate forest, as well as bamboo-forest and grassland.
Formosan rock macaques are diurnal, arboreal, and terrestrial. More often they stay in trees and less so on the ground. They rest in forest and forage in grassland. Formosan rock macaques are social animals that live in large stable multimale-multifemale troops. In order to communicate with each other, these macaques use visual signs and sounds. They produce ''scream calls'' when a non-group members come close to them. Members of the group usually answer this call with a "kyaw-kyaw" sound. Visual communication includes staring with an open mouth but hidden teeth that shows aggression and a fear grimace showing their teeth. Other forms of socializing include playing, grooming, and fighting.
Being omnivores, these animals feed on fruits, tender leaves, buds, grass stems, insects, snails, and bird eggs.
Formosan rock macaques are polygynous, which means that males mate with more than one female during the breeding season. The mating season occurs from October to January. Females give birth to a songle infant after the gestation that may last about five and a half months. Babies are born between spring and summer. Females are entirely responsible for nursing, grooming and protecting her baby. Infants are carried in mother's arms for 2-3 months. At around one year of age the young will be fully separated from their parents carrying and nursing. At two years of age they become independent. Females remain in the group they were born in and will first give birth at 4-5 years of age. Young males disperse soon before attaining adolescence.
Formosan rock macaques are hunted for their meat and for the damage they allegedly do to crops. They are also hunted for the purpose of exports for medical experimental use. Local populations of this species may also suffer from habitat loss for agriculture and development.
The IUCN Red List and other sources do not provide the Formosan rock macaque total population size, but this animal is common throughout its known range. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.
Formosan rock macaques play some role in the ecosystem they live, as they disperse seeds of fruits and plants they consume.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...