Long-tailed Macaques are also known as Crab Eating Macaques for obvious reasons.
Long-tailed Macaques are found in Southeast Asia and usually live near water in wetlands, bamboo or mangrove forests. They spend most of their time in trees and only come down in search of food. They are commonly seen in plantations, gardens and fields near human settlements. Their home ranges could be up to several hundred acres.
Physical description
The most notable charastic of the Long-tailed Macaque is that they have a very long tail. Their tails can be up to 28 inches long which is longer than their body. They use their tail for balance when they jump distances up to 5 meters (16.4 feet).
They have a backwards directed crown hairs which sometimes forms a short crest in the middle of their head. Males have mustache and cheek whiskers while females have only cheek whiskers.
They have white upper and lower eyelids which makes them look like they are wearing makeup and they have cheek pouches which they use to store food while foraging.
Family Units
Long-tailed Macaques live in social groups between 6 and 60. The groups usually consist of several males, females and infants and are organized in fixed hierarchies. The order of the hierarchy is reflected in the access to food, grooming and mating.
Live near humans
Long-tailed Macaques commonly live in areas that are populated by humans. Some of these areas are associated with religious sites where they can be seen in the religious compound and many times they are fed by the residence.
Diet
Long-tailed Macaques are omnivorous animals, they will consume both plants and animals for food. They eat fruits, flowers, leaves, fungi, grasses, various insects and crabs. They will also eat human food if they can get it. The photos below were taken at a temple where the monks supplied flowers for the macaques to eat.
Facial Expressions
I have seen Long-tailed Macaques in several locations including Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam and one feature that I have notices is that they have very interesting facial expressions. Some of the facial expression that I have captured in my photos are shown in the following photos.
About Long-tailed Macaques
Location: Their distribution area extends from Bangladesh and Myanmar in the west across Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Diet: They prefer fruits but also eat flowers, leaves, buds, insects, crustaceans, fish and in coastal regions they also eat crabs.
Height and weight: Body length of adults is 15 to 22 in. with relatively short arms and legs. Males are larger than females weighing 11-20 pounds compared to 7 to 13 pounds of females.
Lifespan: 15 to 30 years
Reproduction: Females give birth to a single infant every 13 to 24 months and the newborn is nursed by its mother for about 14 months.
Interesting Fact: Most births occur in May to July, during the rainy season.
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