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Macaca mulatta
The rhesus macaque is brown or grey in color and has a pink face, in which no fur grows. The adult males will measure around 53 cm (21 in) on average and weigh about 7.7 kg (17 lb). The females differ and are smaller, averaging 47 cm (19 in) in length and 5.3 kg (12 lb) in weight. Rhesus monkeys have 50 vertebrae, almost 20 more than humans at 33 vertebrae. these monkeys also have 32 teeth, same as an adult human.
The rhesus macaque monkeys range from western Afghanistan, through India to northern Thailand and all over southern China. Some populations live in flatlands, while others, in northern India and Pakistan, live in the Himalayas at elevations up to 3,000 m. These primates are able to adapt and change to fit a variety of extreme climates, from the hot, dry temperatures found in deserts, to cold winter temperatures which fall to well below the freezing point. They also can be found living alongside people too.
Males acquire mates either by having high dominance status within their own inhabitants, or sometimes by being friendly (grooming, carrying infants, etc) to females. The gestation period is around 165 days and all the pregnancies result in one birth, with the rare occasion of two infants. There are numerous Rhesus monkey species. This one is M.m.mulatta. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Primates Family: Cercopithecidae Genus: Macaca Species: M. mulatta
Spotted on Dec 9, 2009
Submitted on Nov 14, 2012
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